Return from the Shadows
by MusingRaydius
Summary: They thought he was gone, a myth or legend that died on the battlefield. But just after Naruto achieves true peace, a familiar person makes his presence known once again, engulfing the world in shadow. Through countless trials, battles, and pure courage, Naruto will discover what it truly means to be a shinobi.
1. Rebirth

**Hey everyone. Long time no see eh? Over a month and a half to be precise! But fear not because I do plan on updating more frequently now that this new year is in full swing. Now I am aiming to do weekly updates, and I do think I can do that (since I wrote most of this in one week). In any case, you probably don't want me to ramble, so on to the chapter!**

And yes, if you're asking, I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Return from the Shadows**

_20__th__ of March, Konohagakure_

The sky swirled in many hues of grey, and the earth shifted as winds tugged at its loose, water-ridden exterior.

"Somehow, this rain reminds me…" Naruto scanned his city, heavy downpours clouding the horizon. "Yeah… This feels just like the day I became Hokage."

It wasn't an exaggeration on his part; three years ago, bouts of wind and rain tore through town the day Naruto was inaugurated. People in the bustling alleyways of Konoha mumbled and shoved each other in irritation, some foolish enough to forgo their umbrellas just to have a better view of the Uzumaki. His speech that day was regarded by some as a turning point in the Shinobi world, one that would bring peace unseen in centuries. But to him, it was a call for vigilance and compassion. He knew that times of peace could fool people into being complacent, an idea that destroyed many nations before and provoked war without a second thought. With his blond hair ravaged by weather, and voice strained to the limit, he was a battle-hardened man ready to combat the last barrier to true peace.

"And you still remember why you took this job, right?" Naruto put his thoughts aside to see his pink-haired medical chief stacking more piles of paper on his desk.

Letting out a sigh, he faced her with his worn-out eyes. "I know, I know. I have to do paperwork in order to ensure the wellbeing of my citizens. It's just odd you know, with all this peace. It seems like the world hasn't changed at all, with an increasing lack of trust in leaders and more rebellions springing up."

"Well, people do tend to forget what lives they had before, but it's up to you to fix that right? To show people that they have to maintain this peace while it's still stable?"

"I suppose so. But I just can't understand any of this anymore! The more we fall into peace, the harder it is for people to accept it. It's like we are all born to fall into a cycle of hate…"

He felt a soft hand steady his balled up fists, "You're the sixth Hokage, Naruto. You fought Tobi _and_ Madara, brought Sasuke back, and ushered in a new era of peace. You are the savior, the one who can bring this world together like never before."

**~Far west, in an unnamed field~**

The trees and mountains shuddered as a sudden blast of black color enveloped the area. The chakra-like energies uprooted the surrounding area and tore through rock as if they were made of glass. At the epicenter, a body began to form, the dark masses of substance molding into the legs, arms, torso, and face of a man. His skin flickered like a lone candle in a light breeze, black gas oozing out slowly as he formed into existence. Pure power was etched within him, such an enormous amount that dark lines began to form along his body, exuding a mix of blue and black chakra.

In an instant, his eyes shot open, a trio of black streaks occupying what was once a tomoe spiral. The man smirked as he flexed his new body, groaning in sadistic pleasure from being reborn. Flaring his chakra, a dark coat enveloped him and a series of interlocking wood pieces swirled around his face, leaving only his right eye exposed. Surveying the area around, he began to snicker. Soon, the cracks on his body widened, spewing a massive blast of energy as he screamed with insane delight at the world around him.

"I'll show you all… that true peace is but an illusion…"

_From the world of Naruto, created with characters by Masashi Kishimoto, comes_

_**Return from the Shadows**_

_By Musing Raydius_

_**Chapter I: Rebirth**_

The lights in the streets of Konoha dimmed into nothing as night drew to a close, extinguished by the somber mood of the day. Weary shopkeepers trudged back home in the rain, giving little attention to each other as they gazed towards the misty outlines of the village. In the Hokage tower, Naruto felt the lull of night tug on his consciousness too, his head bobbing up and down, begging for chance to rest. The yellow hair that drooped over his forehead had lost its once plentiful vitality as work plagued his everyday life. Gone was the carefree boy he used to be, replaced by a calculating and mellow man. If there was anything that remained, it was his faith in peace and prosperity. As a Hokage, he had a duty to protect, and he would gladly abide by it for his people.

Picking up a chakra signature approaching fast on the right side of the Hokage tower, Naruto whipped out his kunai and signaled his ANBU to stand guard, thinking of all possible attackers. '_Who the hell has the confidence to take me on at this time of day?'_

"Naruto nii-san, why are you pointing that at me?"

Naruto slowly lowered his kunai, an irritated look forming on his face. "Why can't you use the door like everyone else, Konohamaru?"

"Well, you used to do this too you know… " Seeing the enraged look on his face, he immediately shrunk back. "Anyhow, I have urgent news from Kumo."

Glancing over the sealed letter, Naruto sent Konohamaru and his ANBU guards away. '_A only uses these stamps for times of grave danger'_ he thought, sweat building on his fingers. Opening it up, the very seriousness of the words glared at him like daggers would in the hands of an assassin.

"Four Kumo jonin dead, no known motive, an unknown means of death and each seemed to be… Oh Kami…" Naruto fought back the urge to smash his table as he read the next few lines. "The shinobi had been decimated in… a particular way that… ANBU!"

Shocked at what he had just read, he immediately called for a meeting at the break of dawn with the council and the clan heads. _This is too serious to pass up…_

Watching the ANBU flash out, Naruto felt his eyes droop dangerously close to his desk as sleep began to take over his senses. "Oh hell, I should get some sleep anyways." Tossing his paperwork aside, he succumbed to his bodily desires, falling into a deep slumber.

**~In Naruto's dreams~**

"Let it be known, that you and your plans fall today." Two people said in unison.

In a blinding flash of light, Naruto and Sasuke made the finishing blows on the Jyuubi. Both were bloodied beyond recognition, Naruto's left arm limp from multiple slashes, and Sasuke's left eye smashed into oblivion. But with what strength they could muster, they were able to finally stop the sadistic plans of Madara and Tobi once and for all. The breeze picked up, cutting through the silence as Naruto slumped over next to Sasuke. "Hey teme, we did it… Now come back to Konoha…"

"Che, looks like you were right. I guess you won that argument-"

In an instant, the scene fluctuated and Sasuke was impaled by a long spear of wood, shocking the blond.

"**How sad… But isn't this the fate you wanted for him?" **A shadowy figure appeared in front of the raven-haired Uchiha, a small smirk visible on its face.

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto tried to remain calm, but on the inside he was in shock at how realistic his dream seemed. '_Is this genjutsu?'_

"**So the great hero of the Shinobi achieved his greatest goal with Sasuke's death."**

"I know this isn't real, it's all just a dream. Whoever you are, you're just some bad nightmare I'll recover from once I wake up."

"**I applaud your bravery, but you'll know who's in control soon enough. After all, I can access you wherever and whenever." **The mysterious voice proclaimed, projecting across Naruto's dream.

Jerking his head in a circle, he saw nothing, not even the slightest glint of light. "Why is it that you feel so out of place? Is this some kind of jutsu?"

"**Never the brightest were you? I am simply taking a tour of your mind, finding out what your life is made of, and what fosters the darkness in your heart. But I will spare you the pain now as I am too weak as of now."** Naruto's mindscape began to change, a wave of darkness engulfing his mind and a shadowy man materializing right in front of his face. **"Don't worry though, I'll leave you with a parting gift to remember me by…"**

**~Back in Konoha~**

Sweat poured down Naruto's face as he violently snapped awake from sleep. Struggling to get up, his muscles tensed and suddenly a sharp, hot pain exploded over his body. He had never experienced so much helplessness, even in the midst of the ten-tails, yet whatever was in his dream left him with a world of pain.

"ANBU!" Flashing in, the cat-faced woman appeared next to Naruto, instantly panicking as she saw the blonde yelling in pain.

"Hokage-sama!"

"Good… You're here… I don't think I can handle… handle this…" he managed to say before losing consciousness.

Immediately flashing her chakra, the ANBU hoisted Naruto into her arms and ran towards the hospital. Unprofessionally ramming through the doors, she rushed over and grabbed the receptionist. "Where is Sakura-san? She needs to treat him NOW!"

Seeing the body of Naruto, the receptionist nodded and took them to the ER room. "Sakura-san! Hokage-sama is incapacitated!"

"Bring him over, I need to check his vitals and make sure there's nothing else wrong." Sakura glanced over Naruto, seeing his pale colored face and lifeless body. "Looks like he just needs a jumpstart to his chakra system. What caused this ANBU-san?"

"He called me when he was already weakened, though it seemed like he was barely conscious."

Sakura weaved her hands over his body, injecting small amounts of chakra into his body. "He should be up soon, though I suspect this is all from chakra exhaustion from all the late nights he's used to."

"Will there be any lasting effects?" The ANBU questioned, fearing that Naruto would end up in a coma like Tsunade had been.

"He's fine, a guy like him doesn't go down so easily." Sakura jerked her head up at the sound of a light moaning. "Ah! You're awake Naruto!"

"Sakura-chan… Am I dead?"

"No you baka… you're in the hospital." Her eyes softened, "You can't be working that late or else you'll be in here more than you'll like."

"What do you mean? My whole damn body was on fire! It's not like working hard could cause that. Plus there was this one guy-"

"Don't give me that nonsense! We all know you've been straining yourself at the training fields."

"I'm telling the truth you know. I swear to it by the hat I wear as Hokage! There was this guy in my dream who did this!"

He watched as Sakura fell deep into thought, secretly thinking to himself that he'd finally outsmarted her.

"Well Naruto… I think you're just wrong." She crossed her arms and smirked at his face.

'_Why do I bother…' _Naruto thought, combing his hair away from his eyes. Spotting the scroll he read last night, he hastily changed the subject, a serious look plastered on his face. "On a side note we'll have to go to Kumo soon. I'll be having a meeting soon with the clan heads about traveling to Kumo. A and I have to discuss the current events that have been happening while you'll be examining four deceased shinobi."

"Corpses? What could possibly need my attention?"

Naruto let out a sigh, '_Well this won't go well…_'Leaning closer to Sakura, he told her how the bodies had lost all trace of their chakra systems.

"Well, it was probably a misdiagnosis. It would be like saying something mutated them in a period of just hours! Plus no jutsu or medical technique could remove an entire chakra system!"

"That's why we have to leave and see what's going on in Kumo! Now we need to set up an emergency meeting as soon as I'm ready to leave here."

**~Two Hours Later~**

"So I've gathered you all here today to discuss the recent events that A-dono informed me about." Naruto placed the scroll and his notes down while stealing a glance around the room, spotting all the familiar faces he strove to protect during the Fourth Shinobi World War. Tsume was much older, a few wrinkles visible on her otherwise unblemished face, but she still had the anger to take out four jonin. Ino had taken up the head after her father perished, and though she was reluctant at first, eventually felt comfortable navigating the political affairs of the village. Shikamaru had taken on his dad's position with much pride, but still opted to take regular jonin missions to 'keep the will of fire alive'. Hinata had taken the head of her clan, though with some reluctance at first, and Naruto just couldn't believe that the once shy girl was now relatively headstrong. Sasuke had taken the reins of the broken Uchiha clan with a hint of pride in his voice, but wanted to change its long standing image of instability and hatred. Finally, there was Choza and Shibi, heads of the Akimichi and Aburame clans who he really didn't know too much about.

"Are you sure about this Naruto-kun? Who will take your place then?" Tsume commented with her usual lack of formalities, hinting at the other people around the room.

"Baa-chan will! I'm sure she'll agree, right?" Tsunade simply sighed in agreement, mumbling about ungrateful brats and sake. _'At least she didn't refuse…'_ He thought, tapping his restless fingers on the table.

"As for my team, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai will accompany me. Sound good?"

One by one, everyone shook their heads in affirmation, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Alright, everyone but my team and Baa-chan is dismissed."

"So let me get this straight. We're here to assist Kumo, or rather escort Sakura there for something we don't know anything about? Why do we have to do this troublesome mission and not the other nations?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Yes Shikamaru, and don't look at me like that! It may be _like_ an escort mission but that's no excuse to look like that! You make sloths look energetic, geez. We're going because similar deaths are being reported around the area, the trail of crime has been spreading quickly towards the Land of Fire, and because we're the closest." Naruto shifted his view to the other shinobi. "Sai, you'll be joining Sasuke and me in the meet up with the Darui and his forces on the west side of Kumo as his sentries have spotted some unusual activity and your abilities in scouting will be needed. Shikamaru, you'll be with Sakura while she checks over the bodies. Everyone got it? Good. Now we leave now."

_'It's like the killer wants us to follow the deaths…' _Shikamaru mused, no longer treating the mission off as some troublesome endeavor.

"So how is my little gaki doing as Hokage? Paperwork's a bitch, right?" Tsunade never had a chance to casually talk to Naruto. It was always a formal meeting or an urgent event that brought them together, so she cherished these non-stressful moments.

"Well, with Kage Bunshin and everything it isn't that hard! I'm surprised no other Hokage ever thought of it…"

"Well, we don't necessarily have the chakra or skill to maintain it like you do."

"I know, I know. Maybe I'm being selfish, but in any case, we all have our own strengths and shortcomings." Grabbing his standard battle wear, Naruto prepared to leave. "I trust that you can hold this position until I come back?"

Tsunade lazily fell back into the Hokage chair, looking out towards the village. "Well as I was saying, yeah. Just don't make me sit here and do all the paperwork you didn't do or else I'll tell _everyone_ about what you have in that one drawer…"

Naruto's face turned a deep shade of red as he picked up on her message, waving his hands in the hopes of distracting the others in the room. "Uhm… Now let's not jump to any conclusions here!... Alright everyone, let's go!"

Everyone filed out of the room, eager to get the mission done with. After all, the Fourth Shinobi World War had an effect of making everyone more pacifistic than usual. Noticing that Sakura and Sasuke were still in the room, he called them over. "Sakura? You have something to say?"

"I'll be a bit late, I have to go check on something." She whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

"Alright, but I'm only going to give you twenty minutes tops." Naruto dismissed her and took out his sealing scrolls. _At least I have these ready to go or we'd be stuck here for hours… _"So, what do you want, Sasuke?"

"Can I speak with you privately?"

Naruto looked around him, and dismissed his ANBU guards. "They're gone now, _onii-chan_. You know it's hard to get us alone with everyone being so suspicious. I wish they would just take my word that you're safe, but-"

"For the last time dobe, I'm not your brother." Sasuke shot back, though smirking on the inside. "In any case, are you sure it's a good idea for me to be working with Kumo? I mean I did try to steal the Hachibi and I'm sure many people there won't approve of such a high profile-"

"C'mon Sasuke, if I'm okay with you then everyone will be!" With a more serious look, he brought Sasuke closer, "The past is over, and this is a new start for you. Don't screw up, alright?"

"Hn. You better be right."

"Well, see you at the gates." Naruto quickly finished stuffing the ready-made storage scrolls into a small bag and jumped out the window towards the front gates. While the cool Konoha air brushed along his face, he couldn't help but think about the four dead Kumo shinobi. _If those four were jonin and were defeated so easily, then what kind of killer are we looking at? It's not like there could be any person like that, but so far we don't know anything about the jutsu used at all! _"If only I knew…"

"Hey dobe!" Sasuke walked up with Sai and Shikamaru who were following closely behind. "Where's Sakura? Wasn't she just with you?"

"I don't know actually, she mentioned something about investigating a certain place."

"NARUTO!" All four turned to see their pink-haired teammate walking with an ear-to-ear smile towards them.

"There she is! So now that we're all here-"

BANG! "You ero-baka! I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN READING THOSE ICHA ICHA BOOKS!"

"Sakura-chan, is that what you've been 'investigating'?" Quickly regaining his composure, he grinned, "You know that assaulting a Hokage can lead to imprisonment and trespassing can lead to…"

Sakura pouted, purposely sidling up to the blonde. "Naruto… You wouldn't do that to me, would you?"

Naruto simply scratched the back of his head, "Well, of course not. Never to you, Sakura-chan-"

BANG! "EXACTLY! Now if you weren't the Hokage I might have done more than that you know!"

"Oi, oi! Isn't that too much Sakura? I mean the mission hasn't even started and you're already causing injuries." Shikamaru reasoned, earning a nod from Sasuke.

Sai absently stared down Sakura. "Well, maybe it could be because Naruto has such a small di-"

Sasuke, not wanting Sai to finish, hit him on the head with his heavy travel bag. "Shut up, dobe. Now are we going or not?"

Naruto handed out small papers with a seal inscribed on them. "We can keep in communication with these. Just flare your chakra into it and it'll allow us to communicate, but you'll have to maintain a small amount of chakra to keep the connection."

Waving back at the crowd that was gathered to see him off, Naruto sprang for the trees along with his friends, hoping to arrive as fast as possible. "Ideally we should be out of the Land of Fire before the sun sets. We shouldn't have any hindrances from the Land of Hot Water or the Land of Frost on our way there, so hopefully we'll be at Kumo after another day's worth of travel."

~**The Next Day~**

"Alright, we've crossed into the Land of Lighting." Sai said, relaying the information from his bird drawing.

"It's only around noon, so we should make it to Kumo by three if nothing slows us down." Naruto opened his bag and checked the scrolls for food. _'Hmm still have four left, so we really didn't need to restock in the Land of Hot Water'_

"Hold on, doesn't something seem off to you?" Sai pointed at a few trees that were spreading out away from each other. "Ah, it looks like we've stumbled upon a path."

"Wait, it looks like it's been used recently!"

"Exactly… Naruto-san, I advise that you let me check this out."

Naruto signaled everyone to stop, letting Sai draw a few birds. "I don't like the look of this…"

Sai sent his birds high up into the air, waiting for a signal. In an instant, one of them came down and molded back into his paper, transforming into lines of text. "That's interesting, one of my summons says that there is a village ahead, Yatakumi Village to be exact."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Well, I don't see anything wrong with that."

"Yeah, but apparently there isn't any activity coming from the village. In fact, the only thing alive seems like a large sign that says 'Welcome to Yatakumi Village where all from Uzushiogakure to Iwagakure are welcome!'"

"Wait, mom's village? Why would they advertise that if it's been destroyed for hundreds of years?"

"Let's not dwell on that now. The fact is we're in the Land of Lightning so this could be the perfect position for the culprit to launch an attack on either of the countries." Shikamaru reasoned, annoyed that this village was slowing their progress.

After waiting for Sai's signal, all of them jumped into the center of the village, hoping to find out where the locals were. "Anyone here?" Naruto immediately began to knock on doors, but was only greeted with an eerie silence. He noticed that the doors seemed extremely clean, even more so than Konoha had ever been.

"Naruto, over here." Sasuke was crouched over a pile of bodies that were unceremoniously thrown behind a large house. "It looks like these people suffered the same fate as the Kumo shinobi. Sakura, you mind?"

"Actually, before you go Sakura-chan, I have something to tell everyone. In the letter I got from A, it clearly stated that the shinobi's _entire chakra system_ was either gone or undetectable." Naruto decided to leave out the gruesome aftermath of the shinobi, for fear that his team would be hindered by it in the future.

"Wait, you were serious back at the hospital? That's absurd Naruto! We're talking about changing people's bodies without touching them!"

"Well, check for yourself then. This could be some kind of kinjutsu for all we know…"

Sakura placed her hands down on one of the bodies, pumping chakra into her hands in preparation for a scan. Suddenly, she jumped back, fear etched on her face. "Th-This can't be! Not only does he lack a chakra system, but there are signs of some kind of poison!"

Naruto's face contorted in fear, "Can you identify what it is? We need to get an antidote for this."

"No, I don't have any idea. But we should take a sample back to Konoha for analysis and another in case we need it. I'll seal this body in a scroll so we can analyze it in Kumo."

Nodding his head in agreement, Naruto summoned Gamatatsu. "Hey wait a minute, I wanted Gamakichi!"

"Sorry Naruto, but he's busy. Do you have any snacks by chance?"

A devious smile appeared on Naruto's face as he gave the toad the sample. "Once you get back to Baa-chan, she'll have all the treats you can eat!"

"Cool! See-ya!"

"Hehe, this is just-"

BANG! "NARUTO! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU NOT TO SCREW AROUND WITH TSUNADE-SAMA!" Sakura said, enraged enough to warrant the other ninja's attention.

"Ok! Ok! I won't do it again!" Naruto rubbed his head in frustration, and then looked towards Kumo, "A is going to want to know about this. Sasuke, didn't you say your snake summons knew Kumo well?"

"Hn. My snakes were embedded there before trying to capture the eight-tails. So yeah, they know the place well." Sasuke slammed his hand on the ground, giving a few instructions to a small white snake before rejoining the group. "Alright, let's stop wasting time here."

**~Meanwhile in Kumo~**

Clad in a typical jonin outfit for a Kumo shinobi, Mabui strode through the doorway into the Raikage's office. "So, Raikage-sama, why are we just waiting here for something we don't even know exists? Shouldn't we be on the field investigating? I mean we stand a better chance to outwit whoever it is now than later." She paused to pull on the sleeves that were a bit too tight for her. "In any case, getting out of that suit really makes me want to do something."

A smirked, clearly impressed at his assistant's intuition and amused by her proclamation. "Well, the thing is we don't know much about what's been going on other than the fact that some of the smaller villages around have been reporting sudden deaths similar to our shinobi. Plus, we have to wait for Konoha, who will probably arrive in the next few hours or so."

Mabui pondered the situation, weighing the risks of a search. "So… you're saying that all the other deaths are just a diversion?"

"Right. I'd expect nothing less from my former assistant who singlehandedly escaped a Bijūdama. In any case, Darui and C have been searching southwest of here for any clues."

"That's reassuring… But Raikage-sama, could we please refrain from mentioning that experience…" Mabui lowered her head in shame. Right before HQ had been destroyed, she tried to teleport everyone to safety, but in the end she was only able to save herself. Selfless as it was in theory, she couldn't bear to live after surviving… it just seemed so wrong for her to be the lone survivor. Had it not been for Naruto, who soothed her by explaining how the wills of the dead live on in her, she could have ended her own life.

"Right, sorry. I forget about that…"

"It's fine Raikage-sama, we should focus on our task here."

Mabui exited the Raikage's Office, opting to get some fresh air and to think about the current situation they were in. '_If the killer didn't dispose of the bodies, then he or she must have a lot of confidence in their abilities, but why not take the extra precaution?'_ Interrupting her thoughts a poof of white smoke appeared next to her, revealing a small white snake with a scroll in its mouth.

"Raikage-sama's Asssssistant I presssume? May I ssspeak with him?"

Mabui nodded, though she felt as if she'd seen the snake before. "Well, not exactly his assistant anymore, but if you want Raikage-sama he's over here."

Opting to wait outside, Mabui beckoned the snake to head inside. _'Now I was sure I remember someone who used snake summons… Orochimaru? No he's dead by now…'_ Her eyes widened as a man crossed her thoughts.

"YOU DARE SHOW YOUR FACE HERE SNAKE!" A yelled, demolishing the door and chasing the poor snake across Kumo.

Deftly jumping away, Mabui stood in front of the snake, spreading her arms out in defense, "Raikage-sama! This is from the Hokage!"

"MABUI , GET OUT OF THE WAY OR I'LL STRIP YOU OF YOUR RANK! THIS SNAKE IS FROM SASUKE!"

The snake poked its head out of the grass, spitting out the scroll into Mabui's hand. "I entrussst this you Mabui-sssan. Hopefully he'll underssstand now."

Before A could react, a small poof enveloped the area, leaving Mabui to read the scroll herself.

_Dear A-dono,_

_ My team and I spent some time analyzing new bodies that appeared in Yatakumi Village, so we will be late. In addition, we will bring over a sample from one of the corpses over for study, so if you could prep medical corps it would be much appreciated._

_The World's Best Hokage,_

_Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze_

"Here Raikage-sama." Mabui tossed the scroll to him, and smiled at Naruto's antics, happy that the hero of the ninja world still maintained his happy-go-lucky attitude even in tense times. In fact, if it hadn't been for him, she would have never considered going back to being an active shinobi.

[FLASHBACK]

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Mabui was sitting by herself in a corner, away from all the boisterous laughter and people. Her head was hung low and frankly, she was ashamed to even look at herself. _'If only I had the time, I could have saved Shikaku, Inoichi, Ao… And all the others…'_

"Is anyone in there?" Naruto yelled, gently shaking her shoulder.

Refusing to raise her head, Mabui only wiped away her tears upon hearing his voice. "Shouldn't you be back with the others, Naruto-san? You're the hero of the Fourth Shinobi World War, you should act like one."

"I wouldn't want to leave anyone alone now would I, Mabui-san?" Naruto paused, noticing the tears that were streaking down her cheeks. "What's wrong?"

"Oh Naruto-san… I couldn't s-save them. It's all my fault that they all died. If only I-"

Suddenly, she felt his strong hand jerk her head up, forcing her to look into his ocean blue eyes. His face was contorted with both sympathy and anger, for reasons she could only guess.

"Look here Mabui-san. As shinobi, we may fight one day and die the next, but that's no excuse to sit in a corner and secretly hope that someone will come save you from guilt! Where's the Mabui Raikage-sama talked about, huh? You were the one Kunoichi that 'never thought twice about supporting her village' and 'always looked out for her fellow shinobi'! Are you telling me that she no longer exists?"

Shocked at the accusations, Mabui got up and turned away from Naruto, stopping after a few strides. "I was never here, and you never saw me like that, ok?"

"You got it, Mabui!"

"Thanks… Naruto…"

[END FLASHBACK]

"So that kid found more bodies. I should have accounted for Yatakumi Village."

Snapping out of her thoughts, Mabui froze. "Wait, Yatakumi Village? Why didn't I see that before? Raikage-sama, that's not possible!"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"The people of Yatakumi Village were all killed in the First Shinobi World War!"

**~Back with Naruto and the Others~**

Naruto watched as Sasuke leaned in to his snake summon, nodding his head in a slow and ominous fashion. "Ne Sasuke, you've been talking to your snake for quite a while now."

"Naruto, you better double the pay for this mission when we get back. No question, ok?"

Realizing that the Raikage still had some animosity towards his raven-haired friend, Naruto sighed. _'Why is it that everyone always pushes their luck with me? Maybe I should be tough… yeah… I'm the one who makes all the rules!' _he thought, the idea satisfying in every regard.

"Well Sasuke, my answer is… no."

"What do you mean dobe? I thought you were a caring Hokage?"

"We can't afford it, and frankly, I can't either. The council is actually making me take in a minimum amount of pay. Sorry teme!" Naruto waved his hand in a sarcastic way, hoping to end the conversation.

"I know that's bullshit dobe. Tsunade and Shizune are your council members and I doubt they'd force you to do anything." Sasuke retorted, grunting in annoyance.

"Fine, take it up with them when we go back, but you won't have my support."

Giving him a light punch, Naruto was shocked when Sasuke began to pant, clutching his head in pain. Before he could ask, the Uchiha fell towards the forest ground, his limbs limp like a ragdoll's. _'Shit! What the hell happened? I didn't put any chakra in that punch!'_ he thought, signaling Sakura and the others to retrieve him. "Hey! Sakura-chan! Sasuke just fell and-"

"I saw!"

Propping him up against the tree, Sakura began to check him for any signs of damage, slowly moving her glowing hands across his body. "What is this… I can't find anything wrong with him!"

Naruto's thoughts snapped as he remembered his dream. "Sakura, this could be related to the time I was at the hospital."

"What do you mean? That one imaginary person? Give me a break you baka!"

"Look he mentioned that he could access me whenever and wherever he wanted, and as crazy as that seems, that might be the case here!" Naruto proceeded to slap Sasuke, earning nothing in return. "See? He didn't even react to that!"

Leaning closer to his face, he felt a sudden change in pressure beginning to build in the Uchiha's eyes. "SHIT! EVERYONE GET AWAY!" Naruto shouted, jumping away.

"Amaterasu!" Sasuke's eyes opened to reveal his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, black flames spreading across the field in a circle.

Naruto looked around him, seeing Sai and the others floating on a bird just outside of the black flames. "You guys stay there! I'll handle it from here!"

"Naruto! Don't be a fool! We'll fly over to you." On cue, Sai swooped over the flames but was met with an invisible barrier that shot out black mist whenever he touched it. _'Shit, looks like we'll have to find another way.' _

"Sasuke! What the hell is going on in your mind?!" Naruto parried two strikes from his friend, managing to kick him back. Sasuke raised his head in response, shocking Naruto. _'His eyes… It's like the time Lee was unconsciously fighting after his battle with Gaara!'_ Quickly summoning his Hirashin Kunai, he braced himself for the fight. _'C'mon Sasuke, snap out of it!'_

* * *

**Quick Note: I will have links to what the 'revived man's (As I will address him now)' Mangekyo Sharingan looks like, and though I couldn't find a picture of shinobi Mabui, I'll post one where you can easily visualize it if that makes sense. And yes, Mabui is alive, believe it or not, in this fic. Other than that there isn't much change as of yet. If you're trying to guess ages now... Well it'll be revealed soon :)**

**Well, I'm sure there are so many questions that have popped up after this chapter, but all will be answered in due time... But aside from that, please, if you find anything you liked, hated, or if you want to suggest something, don't hesitate to review because I will read every review!**

**As for the next chapter, expect it sometime next week, most likely on the weekend though. That's all for now!**

**P.S. (For anyone who read this before 2/24, this has been edited and it replaced my original chapter one.)**


	2. A Shocking Discovery

******I do not own Naruto or anything associated with it.**

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**Chapter 2: A Shocking Discovery**

_'C'mon Sasuke, snap out of it!'_

Naruto flung the kunai across the battlefield, noting the position of the closest ones. _'I sure hope all that training paid off…' _he thought, remembering how he had only just grasped the concept of the Hirashin.

"Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke shouted, devoid of any emotion as he watched the fireball head straight for its target. Naruto quickly sidestepped, flashing right behind him with a kunai aimed towards his back.

_There!_ Naruto smirked with confidence, but in an instant Sasuke's body began to peel, and his body changed into a murder of crows. _Genjutsu? But when… Ah, from when I warned everyone about Amaterasu. _"Hey Kurama, a little help?"

"Well, I'd refuse for such a weak request, but it looks like you really need my help kit. I'll break you out of this puny genjutsu but you owe me!"

Feeling his limbs regain their movement, Naruto took advantage of Sasuke's surprise and began to gather natural energy.

"Chidori Sharp Spear!" Sasuke aimed straight for the heart, pumping massive amounts of chakra into his hand to increase the speed.

"It's not that easy, teme!" Naruto felt a surge within him, and his eyes blazed orange with power. Ducking under the spear of lightning, he rushed straight for Sasuke and engaged in a fury of punches and kicks. "You can't dodge them all!" Feinting left, he setup for a frog kata and managed to strike him into a nearby rock with his sage chakra. Quickly throwing another punch, he was stopped by a large arm that glowed purple with rage.

"Susanoo!" A giant beak-like creature with a swirling mass of Amaterasu appeared, instantly barricading the Uchiha behind layers of armor. The spectral figure's eyes glowed yellow, reflecting the massive amounts of power it contained.

"Shit… I haven't seen this in a couple of years! Looks like I have no choice now…" Naruto tapped into Kurama's chakra and a cloak of yellowish-orange enveloped his body. Letting some of his war-like emotions take over, Naruto charged straight at Sasuke with the intent to kill. "Let's have some fun Uchiha!"

"Enton: Yasaka Magatama!" Sasuke maneuvered his bead-shaped Amaterasu across the field, covering all possible directions.

Jumping over the spiraling jutsu, Naruto rushed forward and connected with his attack. "Oodama Rasengan!"

Susanoo's armor fractured in multiple places, but before he could pump more power into it, the cracks had already begun to mend. _Incredible… So that's the power of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan…_

Sasuke quickly formed hand signs, forcing Naruto to back away. "Katon: Great Fire Annihilation!"

Catching a glimpse of a Hirashin kunai next to the weak backside of Susanoo, Naruto instantly teleported, forming a tailed beast rasengan as large as his hand in the process.

Seeing him vanish in a flash, Sasuke realized Naruto was aiming for his weak side. Shifting to his backside, he prepared to launch a powerful ration jutsu in order to counter, but another flash closed the distance between them.

"That doesn't do you much help when I can just Hirashin!" Naruto yelled, using all his strength to slam the purple ball of energy into the skeletal form, shattering its lower body. _It's now or never! _Regaining a stable footing, he quickly formed hand seals. "Fuuton: Great Breakthrough!"

Sasuke could only brace himself as he was shot out of his armor and into the mountain side, barreling through meters of rock. Favoring his right knee as he struggled to stand, Sasuke looked up at the blonde, smirking in contempt. "Well, looks like the Hokage isn't someone to mess with!"

"Finally talking? Well… Who are you? I know you're not Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, forming another rasengan in his hand.

"Heh. You think you know everything. You think that the world revolves around you as if you are a god, but all I see is that lonely young boy who's too fucking stupid to do anything but cry!" Sasuke wiped the blood from his mouth and stood up, laughing as he whipped out his katana.

Naruto sluggishly parried his strikes with his own kunai, slowly losing ground to the Uchiha. "I don't give a shit! You're not Sasuke and you can't speak for him!"

"If I can't speak for him, I can speak for you… After all, I can see the swirling void of hate that circles underneath your goodwill."

"That's coming from someone who can't even show his real face to me!"

"Oh? Am I a coward then? Well let me tell you something. Your father was a simpleton, a weak pushover that was only as strong as the worthless village he died protecting! And your mother… Well she was just a little cockroach that died to save a piece of garbage like you!"

Naruto stopped exchanging blows with Sasuke, jumping up onto an elevated rock. His hands were visibly white from clutching the kunai, and his face was contorted with unspeakable anger. "I can take a lot of abuse, but when you start to be a fucking prick about my parents, I'LL END YOU!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as Naruto's body became enveloped in a full yellow and black silhouette, pure chakra flowing into a cloak behind him. "Looks like the real you is finally out…"

**~Meanwhile~**

"I swear I've tried every jutsu in my arsenal!" Shikamaru said, annoyed that Amaterasu couldn't be moved by displacing the earth around it. "Sai, get us on the ground, if you have any sealing techniques now's the time to use them."

Landing the ink bird, Sai took out his scroll and thought over his options. "Hmm, I'm no seal master but I'll try a fire sealing technique I learned while I was in Root." Taking out a brush, he began to draw kanji, his hands flowing along the paper in a rapid fashion. "Fūinjutsu: Fire Seal!"

Slowly, the black fames began to weaken, hissing into the seal until it completely faded away.

Catching a clear view of the battle, Sakura gasped. "Naruto looks like he's in trouble, he's activated his cloak already! I need to go and help him!"

"Wait Sakura! If he's in that form we should focus more on aerial attacks. You saw how much destruction he caused when he fought the ten-tails!" Shikamaru reasoned, pulling her back. "Plus, we need to have some faith in him… He's the Hokage after all."

Sai suddenly noticed two chakra signatures closing in, both frantic and extremely familiar. "Is that?..."

"Oi! Konoha! What the hell is going on here?"

**~Back with Sasuke and Naruto~**

"I'll kill you! I tear your limbs and make them pull back your words!"

"Yes, that's what I want to see! The anger that you keep locked away is now in its most beautiful form!" Sasuke deftly avoided all of Naruto's attacks, continuing to taunt him. "Let it take over your mind! Let the illogical take root!"

Molding his chakra, Naruto sprinted directly at Sasuke, his eyes red with rage. "Futon: Rasenshuriken!"

"A bit too slow!" Sasuke quickly pumped chakra into his legs, speeding past the spinning justu and right to Naruto's left side.

_'Shit! I used too much chakra… I let my emotions get to me…' _Naruto could only pivot his body to avoid most of the blow, but Sasuke still managed to send a powerful kick to his gut and send him flying back. Coughing up blood, he felt a katana touch his throat, just begging to pierce his skin.

"You know, people like you disgust me. All this talk about true peace, all this bullshit about making everyone happy, it's just a well-fabricated lie. Do you know what the truth is? Do you understand why we live as shinobi? DO YOU KNOW WHY HATE IS THE VERY AIR YOU BREATHE?"

"Heh, you're one to talk. At least I can enjoy the good parts of life!"

"Oh is that what you think? DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" Sasuke shouted, stabbing through Naruto's right hand. "You feel it? A small portion of the pain that plagued my life? Well who am I kidding… you can't! There are always winners and losers, but now, I see that we are all just withering flowers in a blackened field, ready to be uprooted at a moment's notice."

Naruto managed to shove him aside as he pulled the katana out of his hand, throwing the blood-covered weapon at Sasuke. "You know, whoever you are, that's a sick way to view life."

"ARE YOU SAYING I KNOW NOTHING OF LIFE? IT WAS THE VERY THING THAT WAS DENIED TO ME!" Sasuke caught the katana out of midair, jumping back to prepare for the final strike.

_Good, he's mad. Now all I have to do is wait for him to come close, and it'll be over._ Naruto brung up a kunai with his left hand, smirking as if he'd already won the battle.

"That smile… I'LL WIPE IT OFF YOUR FACE!" Electrifying his katana, Sasuke activated his sharingan.

Naruto sidestepped his quick japs before encasing his hand with wind chakra. "Futon: Sonic Flash!"

In an instant, a large column of compressed air flew straight as Sasuke, who immediately appeared next the blond. "IT'S OVER!" Feinting a low sweep, he managed to get eye contact for just a moment.

"You're open!" Naruto propelled two of his kunai straight into Sasuke's shoulders, causing him to scream in pain. "Whoever you are, your controlling game is now over!"

Alas, laughter resonated around him as Sasuke's body disappeared into crows. "Genjutsu was always your weakness, and still is…" Naruto stabbed his right hand again, hoping to break the illusion through pain. "That would work, but you forget… I AM SUPERIOR TO YOU!"

A sharp, electrified blade suddenly appeared through Naruto's chest, grazing his ribs as it passed through his right lung. Coughing up blood, he realized that Sasuke had dispelled the genjutsu only moments before. _But how? I never noticed a shift in the environment, and my body wouldn't respond to the pain! _"Kuh… Y-You damn bastard. It was that same technique you used back when I was in Konoha!"

"Tsukuyomi has a way of making access easier after all"

"So that's what it is? You just want to use that as a pathetic excuse for using Sasuke? Why don't you figure out what real pain is and face me head on!"

"BOY, DON'T DARE LECTURE ME ON PAIN, THE VERY THING THAT I AM BUILT OF!"

"Face it, you're just a sorry little man with no way to do anything except for taking over other's emotions and making it your own!" Naruto removed the sword from his chest, grimacing from its electrical shocks.

"I CRUSH YOU!" Sasuke's chakra began to rise rapidly, fueling the speed of his kenjutsu strikes until they seemed to be in two places at once. _This isn't good. My stamina won't be able to keep up him now! I have to distract him somehow…_ "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Four clones of Naruto surrounded Sasuke, each taking a different approach to overload the sharingan's predictive power. "For someone who tries to sound intellectual, you really don't see that you have to _solve_ a conflict, not try to _eliminate_ everything."

"What do you know? A loss is defeat, and with defeat comes revenge! There is no alternative, no excuse good enough to bring peace like you want!" Jumping high into the air, Sasuke slashed in a giant arc towards the blond's head which unskillfully left his backside open to attack. "FEEL WHAT REAL PAIN IS!"

Flashing behind him, Naruto quickly pulled a piece of paper from his vest. "Chakra-suppression seal!"

Feeling the fuinjutsu spread across his body, Sasuke screamed in pain, his chakra receding to a dangerously low level. "You little runt... This isn't the end for me. You see, this is but a mere inconvenience, a worthless fight that will be forgotten soon enough beneath the shadow that consumes this realm."

"Yeah, forgotten… just like you will be." Naruto strengthened the seal, temporarily shutting off all chakra flow. In an instant, Sasuke's eyes began to roll upwards, and then his whole body seemed to shake uncontrollably until his feet buckled beneath him. As the adrenaline wore off though, Naruto began to spasm and cough up blood, feeling the effects of his punctured lung.

"Naruto!" Naruto turned his head to see Shikamaru and the others approach, pulling seals from their pouches. "Sakura, heal him, we'll get Sasuke!"

Mustering his remaining strength, the blond stumbled in front of Sasuke. "No, he's not to blame… I've already placed a seal on him, plus… he wasn't himself."

"How can you say that? He almost killed you!" Sakura said, placing her hands over his right hand and chest, healing them.

"Because I saw the darkness in his eyes, ones that appeared in that dream I had. Though I can't say for sure how he was able to completely control him…" Suddenly, Naruto clutched his wound, the blood free-flowing at an increasing rate. _Why isn't the Kyuubi healing this?_

Sakura immediately set him on his back, shocked at the damage. "Don't move, I'll put you on a stretcher. We'll need more medical personnel to re-inject you with some blood, so until we reach Kumo, just don't do anything brash."

"So what do we do with Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked, pointing at the lifeless body of the Uchiha.

Naruto sighed, feeling a bit of anger that his friend was played like a puppet. "W-We'll take him to Kumo with us. Once he wakes up we can question him, especially what he experienced when that man. Sai, we have to notify him as soon as-"

"Raikage-dono should be notified soon enough. C-san and Darui-san are on their way to warn him and I would suggest we follow them." Sai said, creating three birds for all of them. "Now I have just enough chakra to get us there on my summons."

Naruto nodded in appreciation, slowly losing consciousness. Using the last of his energy, he turned his head in the direction of Kumogakure, lost in his own thoughts about the mysterious man. _What kind of tortured person are you?_

**(In Kumo)**

"EH? What do you mean Yatakumi Village is deserted!" Raikage shouted, taken aback by both his lack of knowledge and his assistant's claim.

"It's true Raikage-sama! In our history books The First Raikage did a comprehensive search around all of Kumo after the war, noting which provinces survived and which didn't. Needless to say, this village was marked empty with utmost certainty!"

A pondered her words for a moment. _If bodies were found there, then either someone left them there to mislead us or it could be some kind of distraction._ "Hmm, when Hokage-dono arrives, make sure he's informed of this and keep an eye on what they find from those bodies."

"Hai Raikage-sama. Any word on Darui and C?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure they'll turn up soon for their report."

Upon his word, a chunnin ran up to report their arrival and rather exhausted condition. "Raikage-sama, Darui-san and C-san are here and they say the Hokage was in a fight with the Uchiha!"

A didn't wait for him to finish as he hopped along the buildings with Mabui towards the main gate, feeling a growing sense of anger at the snake that popped in and out just hours ago. "Darui! C! Tell me their status!"

"Raikage-sama, I was informed that the conflict would be resolved and that they would arrive not too long after we did." Darui replied, taking a breather from all the running he did.

"I'll check for them now." C strained the limits of his sensing abilities, searching for the familiar chakra of the Konoha group. "There! Just a few kilometers away! It looks like…" C gulped as he felt the lifeless body of the Hokage. "The Hokage is in trouble! Raikage-sama-"

"I know! Mabui! You're the most experienced medical user here and as such you will heal him!"

Mabui nodded, feeling a growing sense of fear in her stomach as she rushed forward to meet them. "Naruto, just what happened to you?..." Sensing a group of shinobi close in on her location, Mabui called out to them. "Konoha-san, I am here to assist Hokage-dono!"

"Kumo-san! Buy am I glad to see you here. Kyuubi somehow isn't healing him and I think we might need to do a blood transfusion!" Sakura yelled in a panicked voice. _You always held out Naruto, so just once more… please!_

**(In Naruto's Mindscape)**

Naruto groaned as he found himself in a damp and dark area, wondering why he'd been unconscious. "This almost seems like where the seal is, but where's Kurama?"

Feeling his way across the void, he heard a high-pitched scream that rippled across the air. Edging slowly towards the sound, he saw a strange, red-haired woman clutching her head in front of a dark being with glowing red eyes. Seeing that the woman was about to be killed, Naruto quickly jumped in. "Rasengan Barrage!"

The being screamed out in pain as the swirling balls of chakra ground into its back. In an instant, its chakra receded, fading away in a flash of black. "Hey, you alright?" Naruto turned to the woman, immediately noticing her piercing red eyes. _Is that Kurama?_

"Y-You! Naruto! When did you come here?"

"Is that the thanks I get for saving you?" Naruto said, a smile plastered on his face.

In one swift motion, the woman grabbed him by the collar lifting him up off the ground. "Look, you aren't supposed to be here! I…" She stopped momentarily, choked up on her own words. "I don't want you to see me like this…"

Up close, he could see that tears were flowing down her cheeks."Kurama, you know I'd respect you no matter who you are."

Putting him back on the ground, she turned away, opting to stare into the infinite blackness. "That being I was fighting was forced into here when you were stabbed. But, it wasn't like anything I've seen before."

"Did the chakra feel the same as when I had that dream?"

Kurama turned back around, surprising Naruto as she embraced him with a light hug. "I couldn't tell, he just… made me watch you die in every horrible and despicable way…" The tears increased as she held him tighter, "I couldn't help you at all… I was useless!"

Naruto returned the hug, shocked by what he'd just heard. "First I learn you're a female, and now you're crying for me? Well, don't worry! I'm the orange Hokage, I'll survive whatever comes at me!"

Chuckling at his reassuring words, Kurama stepped back, her face turned towards the ground. "You always say that, but whatever we're dealing with here is more than just human…"

"Human or not, they still use chakra, the life energy of-"

"That's what I mean! The chakra was denser, much more potent than my own! I-" Sighing at her own frustration, Kurama took a long breath and cleared her mind. "I guess I just want you to careful, that's all."

Naruto saw her head rise, the blood red eyes looked into his own, conveying the conviction within them. For the first time, his baser instincts kicked in as he glanced at her figure. He could see that she was divine in every aspect, surpassing most people in beauty, power, and confidence. But he just couldn't understand why people would hate the tailed beasts if they were all so human-like. "Kurama, if you're in this human form, then why did so many people hate you before?"

"Well, when the Sage of the Six Paths created us, he told us that at some time a person would lead us, show us what true power is. You were that person, Naruto, the one that finally acknowledged us as more than just constructs of chakra! With the weight of belief, my true form showed, and I am forever grateful."

"But I never saw you like this before; I mean I couldn't miss someone as pretty as you!"

Hiding a blush that was creeping up on her face, Kurama smiled in embarrassment. _Is that what you think of me, Naruto?_ "I hid my true self from you because I was afraid Obito or Madara would take me because I have less power to resist. Plus you never went into the seal after the war… you dobe"

Naruto's face immediately blanked out, showing a realization that he'd ignored her for the past few years. _I'll make it up to you, dattebayo!_ "I'll visit more… Just know I haven't forgotten you, Kurama!"

"How sweet of you, Naruto, but our next meetings won't be so friendly, mind you."

"Wha? What do you mean? Please forgive my ignorance! I just-"

"No, baka, you're training the next time you get here!" Seeing his body beginning to fade, Kurama put her hand on his shoulder. "We've come to understand each other well enough, so I think you're finally ready to train in one of the true sage arts."

"True sage arts?"

Kurama nodded. "You are ready to be the Sage of the Kitsune."

* * *

**End! **A/N: If you guys are wondering why Mabui has such little 'word time', you won't have to. I'm going to include a lot more of her starting with the next chapter because realistically he's unconscious... Also, I hop eI didn't confuse anyone for the Sasuke fight, but to clear things up, he was controlled. Anyways, tell me what you liked, didn't like, and any suggestions in a review!

P.S. Updating by next weekend (Around 3/9) is a BIG maybe because I have a lot of stuff to do this week.


	3. The Mystery of Yatakumi Village

**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

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**Chapter 3: The Mystery of Yatakumi Village**

"_You are ready to be the Sage of the Kitsune."_ The words reverberated throughout Naruto's mindscape, causing him to shiver at the declaration. _Heh, I'll be looking forward to it later, Kurama…_

**(With Mabui)**

"Looks like we don't need to do a blood transfusion after all!" Mabui stated, watching as Naruto's wounds began to heal. _He's healing even faster than Killer Bee-san normally does!_

Slowly regaining consciousness, Naruto tested his eyes against the surroundings. "Where the hell am I…"

"You just recovered from unconsciousness, Naruto-san." Turning his head, he saw a woman scribbling furiously onto a small, brown pad. "Hey… I remember you! You're uh… uhh…"

Lifting her head up, Mabui smiled. "Have you already forgotten? It's only been a few years."

_Hmm, she's in shinobi wear but that writing style and clipboard seem so familiar…_ "Could it be… You're Mabui!"

"That almost sounded like a question!" Mabui said, slightly pouting at his antics.

"Well, I could never forget the time I talked with you after the war!… Not to mention your beautiful hair and eyes."

Visibly shaken for the second time that day, Mabui dropped her pen on the floor, mentally gaping at the blond. "I-I uh-"

Naruto opted to look away, laughing at her reaction. "I'm just playing with you. Anyways, what are you writing about?"

Quickly grabbing her pen, Mabui hid her head behind the clipboard in embarrassment. "Oh this? It's just a report. I guess old habits don't go away easily."

"You're a shinobi now, and contrary to popular belief, you should relax while you can. We live hard lives on the front lines, so it's only fair that we get a break sometimes."

"Since when were you so philosophical? No offense, but you always seemed like that number one unpredictable ninja!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head in confusion. "So I shouldn't be even more mature?"

"N-No not at all!" Mabui vehemently proclaimed. In a quieter tone, she mumbled to herself her real thoughts. "I kind of liked it when you were so full of energy…"

Naruto, catching her ramble with his bijuu-enhanced senses, grabbed her hand affectionately. "Hey, I know I've changed, but I'm still that blond ninja that cares about everyone, wants people to live in a world of peace, and loves to speak his mind!"

Squeezing his hand in recognition, Mabui laughed. "And I hope you stay that way!"

"You got it, dattebayo!" Shifting his eyes from her to the window, Naruto saw the clouds part to reveal the Raikage Tower. "Say now that I think of it, did Sakura-chan or someone give the Raikage a rundown of the situation?"

"About that… In your report you mentioned Yatakumi Village but there's a problem with that. To be blunt, it's been abandoned for centuries, from the very First Shinobi World War! I don't question what you saw, but are you sure there were bodies there?"

"I'm positive. I checked for Genjutsu if that's what you're asking, and Sakura has a body to examine too." Naurto reasoned, shocked to hear that the village was supposed to be empty. "Also, by any chance, do you know what happened to Sasuke?"

Mabui's eyebrows lifted in surprise and then bent down in anger. "You mean the teme that attacked you? He's being held in jail as we speak. Serves that prick right for hurting someone like you, Naruto_._"

"What? Why doesn't anyone believe me? He didn't attack me, someone possessed him!" Naruto protested, struggling to get out of the hospital bed.

Placing a hand on his chest, Mabui forced him down. "Uzumaki_-san_, I am ordered by the Raikage to keep you here until his meeting with your team is over."

Mumbling incoherently about hard asses and helplessness, Naruto opted to think over the hectic events that transpired the past few hours. Sifting through his memories, a single figure always dominated his thoughts. _Who is the man shrouded in shadows? It almost reminds me of Madara, maybe even Obito…_ _But it can't be any of them._ _Maybe the Raikage knows something._

Mabui watched on in interest as Naruto's face expressions fluctuated from contemplative to angry. She knew that he didn't like to be in the hospital, but a part of her couldn't just sit there and let him roll around uselessly. _What should I do? I could let him out but then Raikage-sama would probably demote me… Ah! I'm sounding like Omoi now!... Screw it, I need to relax more like he said._ "Ne, Naruto, if you want I uh- I guess you could leave now. I'll handle the paperwork. Just let me do a final checkup."

Complying, Naruto watched as Mabui's chakra turned green and moved across his body. _I've seen this so many times before from Sakura, but why does it feel so relaxing now?_ Stealing a quick glance at the kunoichi, he saw her blue-green eyes scanning his body with… a slight blush?

"Well, you look healthy. In fact, I'd say completely healed! Now get out of here before I change my mind, Naruto."

Snapping away from his thoughts, Naruto flashed his signature grin and leap out of bed with relative ease. "I told you I was fine! Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around Mabui!"

Mabui watched as he bounded out the window, just as informally as the Raikage had been during her secretary years. _Why do I feel so calm when he's around? Ah, it's probably because he's a nice guy…_

**(At the Raikage's Office)**

"So you're saying that I should let Sasuke go because…?" The Raikage always wanted a good excuse to lock the raven-haired man up, and assault on the Hokage was more than enough.

"Because just like Naruto said, Sasuke was being controlled by someone! If you won't believe me then go ask him!" Sakura yelled, losing her patience.

"You know, she's right. Please, _Raikage-dono_, let me talk with him." Naruto appeared in the doorway of the office, smirking at the reactions of the ANBU and A.

"You! You're supposed to be in the hospital until this meeting was over! Damn that Mabui, she's not the one to fail-"

"She didn't fail, I just snuck out. Now you can accompany me to Sasuke if you want, but I assure you he isn't a threat."

"…Fine. But anything out of the ordinary and I'll have his head!" A shifted to point at the rest of Konoha's team. "As for you people, meet up with Mabui at the hospital and begin analysis of the body." Seeing the others leave, A stood up from his chair and walked with Naruto down the hallway, both exchanging small talk of the troubling events that seemed to cloud Kumo. "Alright, here he is. Don't take too long or I'll suspect something."

Glancing at the disheveled Uchiha, Naruto took a seat next to him, looking straight forward. "So, how's Kumo so far?"

"I should have never come. I couldn't keep myself in control and most of all I nearly killed you. After all the times you warned me, I failed." Sasuke said, apathy resonating with each word.

"Well, I don't blame you. I have a feeling the same person took over my dreams back in Konoha."

Sasuke glanced upwards towards the ceiling, thinking openly about the fight. "I was with you one minute, and the next I was staring at an infinite blackness. Then images of me fighting you started to appear, probably to make me lose concentration on breaking the Genjutsu."

"Wait, so it was Genjutsu?"

"No, I tried every method, even burning the whole damn mindscape with Amaterasu, but nothing worked. Then some guy cloaked in shadows appeared, taunting me and asking me if fighting you felt good. But that's as far as my memory goes."

Naruto sighed. "Looks like we're no closer to finding out who he is or what kind of control he has over us. In fact, why is he always cloaked in shadow? I mean if he can control memories there shouldn't be any point in hiding."

In an instant, Sasuke jumped up, shaking Naruto back and forth. "That's it, dobe! There was only one Uchiha that could alter someone's memories without them knowing… Itachi mentioned him as his best friend, Shisui Uchiha. His Kotoamatsukami could give false memories or erase real ones and force us to believe things unconsciously!"

"But in order for him to use it on me and then you that quickly, he'd have to contain an incredible life force within him. That's only possible with the First Hokage's cells and Uchiha lineage!" Naruto reasoned, having thoughts about Madara and Obito again. "Plus, what about the bodies that seemed to have their _entire_ chakra system destroyed? There are just too many unknowns to accuse anyone."

Sighing in defeat, Sasuke slumped back down onto his seat. "Well, Sakura might have some info about it after she's finished. I really don't like this Naruto."

"None of us do… Now I'll keep the chakra-suppression seal on you to minimize whatever kind of effect _that_ jutsu has in case it appears again. Now, we should share our prediction with the Raikage to see if Kumo has any information on what's going on."

Seeing the melancholy glance from Sasuke, Naruto slapped him on the back. "C'mon, look on the bright side for once! Raikage-dono!"

Unlocking the cell door, the Raikage quickly ushered Naruto out, slowly closing the door behind him. Suddenly, a hand shot up and blocked him.

"Let your hate go. I know Sasuke isn't a threat, and I'll take full responsibility for any trouble he'll cause… if any."

Mentally struggling to make a decision, the Raikage turned away, leaving Naruto to make his choice. "If you say so, but if he so much as moves in a way I don't like… I won't hold back."

"Yeah, but in any case, send word to Mabui and Sakura. We'll need to see their results and I have very important theories to discuss."

**(Meanwhile)**

"So I've finished with the preliminary examination and the biopsy should come soon. I doubt we'd find anything, but-" Sakura was interrupted by a light tap on her hand from Mabui.

"Hey, you're the best medic in the world now. We'll find something." Mabui smiled at her own optimistic words. _Looks like Naruto is really rubbing off on me._

A series of knocks and the creaking of the door interrupted her thoughts, revealing a kumo chunin. "Sakura-sama, Mabui-sama, the biopsy is done and we request you take a look. Also, Hokage-sama and Raikage-sama wish to meet with you to discuss the recent occurrences."

"Thank you, now please take us there." Walking towards the morgue, Mabui noticed that Sakura had a large green diamond on her head. "Sakura, what's that on your forehead? It looks just like what Tsunade-san had!"

"Oh this? Yeah it's modeled after her own. A medic sometimes needs to have a large amount of it in dire situations, so naturally I picked this little sealing trick up… And improved it."

"Improved?"

"Yep, now it grants me almost absolute chakra control, making most Genjutsus ineffective and increasing my healing abilities. In fact, I can do an atomic scan on a patient now without dying of chakra exhaustion!"

Gaping in awe at her as they made their way into the biopsy room, Mabui couldn't help but feel like a fresh recruit in front of Sakura. _Just what kind of people does Konoha have?_

"Alright! Take a look at the biopsy and see if there is anything odd about it. We'll improvise if you can't find anything."

Nodding, Mabui proceeded to scan over the small sample under a microscope in great detail, noting that the cells seemed to be intact and healthy despite the lack of a chakra system. _I wonder if there are any traces of chakra left. _Pumping chakra to a fine point, she inserted it into the sample, getting a series of reactions. "Sakura… I think I might have found something!"

"What did you find?"

"I pumped some of my chakra into the sample and it reacted in a peculiar way. I couldn't feel it, but there was definitely something imprinted! We should check the area around the biopsy!"

Sakura deduced that the specific reaction was likely to be small, so she activated the diamond on her forehead and placed her right index finger next to the biopsy area on the corpse. "This is going to use a lot of chakra, but I think a molecular scan will pay off in the end." Looking back up at Mabui, she managed to crack a small smile. "Catch me if I blackout."

Mabui watched on in rapt interest as Sakura's body began to glow green, chakra emitting at an enormous rate. Then, as her finger reached the base of the neck, the green chakra converged at her fingernail. _This is something only she can do, a molecular scan so precise it's like splitting an atom with a sword!… Wait, she wasn't kidding when she wanted me to catch her right?_ Noticing the beads of sweat that were beginning to fall from Sakura's face, Mabui began to shift her stance, ready to catch the pinkette at a moment's notice.

"There!" Sakura slumped backwards into Mabui's arms, visibly shaken from the costly procedure. Stabilizing her balance, she quickly grabbed a notepad and began to record her observations. "Well Mabui, it looks like there weren't any medical clues… but something more interesting. It looks like the killer left messages by making certain cells react to bursts of chakra. So there could be scattered pockets of chakra around the body, but not enough to constitute normal capacity. Whoever we're dealing with is skilled."

"Well, what was the message?"

As if the body reacted to her words, a fizzling began to dissolve away the skin across the deceased man's body, forming the phrases:

* * *

A village torn by war, vanishing in clouds of thunder,

Holds hidden signs from four noble fleshes.

Clever like a snake, tenacious like a boar, headstrong like a ram, docile as a rabbit,

The legend revives under first shadow,

It's inky shade corroding one grand illusion.

* * *

"What the hell? Sakura-"

"I know. I've never been good at Fuinjutsu, so we might have to ask Naruto later how anyone could put some chakra-activated seal on a body. Mabui, record these before they fade." Hearing footsteps approach the room, Sakura quickly opened the door, revealing Naruto, the Raikage, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Sai.

"What the fuck is that?" Sasuke said, pointing at the words on the body. "That was not there when I found the body!"

Mabui quickly defused the situation, waving her hands in the air. "No! We just pumped a bit of chakra to check some mysterious signals and this just popped up!... Say Naruto, Sakura said you had knowledge of seals. Can someone actually put a chakra-induced one on a person?"

"Hmmm, from what I've read only the Uzumaki clan knew about advanced techniques like that. I certainly don't know how to, so the killer has to be very familiar with seals."

"That's pretty revealing if you ask me. Uzushiogakure was always shrouded in mystery even after it was destroyed, but no one has been able to get there because of all the whirlpools. Anyways, I've recorded the text onto the clipboard here-"

Shikamaru, in a burst of speed unknown to the Nara clan grabbed the clipboard out of Mabui's hands. "Well, I would say this is a drag, but a good mystery always gets my blood pumping!"

Shifting behind the Nara, everyone stared down the words with rapt attention. "… A village torn by war, vanishing in clouds of thunder… What village has vanished in a cloud of thunder?"

"Well, it could be a metaphor of something else…" Sai mused, scribbling ideas in his own notebook.

A glanced out the door and towards the horizon. "Clouds and thunder relate closely with Kumo, so maybe a village here?"

"You mean like Yatakumi Village? That could be it." Sasuke reasoned, mentally scowling at the memories that rushed to the forefront of his mind.

"That's it! Considering the circumstances, I think it would be worthwhile to go back and investigate!" Naruto quipped, turning towards the door.

Absentmindedly pulling the blonde back, Shikamaru sighed. "You know, a king can only be cornered with the help of many pieces."

"Your point being…"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "We have to figure out what the other lines mean baka! So… assuming Yatakumi Village is the right one, then what about the second line?"

A scratched his chin, feeling a torrent of history rush into his mind. "Well, Kumo has four noble clans, but I don't see what they mean by 'fleshes'"

"You were never the smart one ne, Raikage-sama?" Mabui commented, pointing out that 'fleshes' was just a metaphor for people.

"Che, it's not like you to have that kind of nerve… I bet Hokage-dono had something to do with this…" A pointed an accusing finger at Naruto, eliciting a low groan from all people in the room. _When something unpredictable happens, blame it on Naruto will ya!_

"… As I was saying, the four noble clans are the Arashi Clan (Thunder Clan), Hakurai Clan (White Lightning Clan), Kuroikazuchi Clan (Black Lightning Clan), and the most renown, the Ryū Clan (Dragon Clan). Every one of our villages had at least one diplomatic center to house visiting clan members, so it shouldn't be hard to figure out what they may be hiding."

"Alright… I don't think we can make heads or tails of the next three, so we should start investigating and hopefully find some clues on this killer." Shikamaru gave the pen and clipboard back to Mabui.

"But don't you think it's odd that this kind of evidence is here? It seems like a trap to lure us away from Kumo to give the killer a chance for an attack. In fact, even if this is all true, then why test us? Is there some kind of purpose?" Sakura reasoned, earning nods from everyone.

"It doesn't matter! If I ever get my hands on this person I'll personally gut him and make him suffer for all the lives he's taken!" Naruto's eyes began to turn red as he used Kurama's chakra to fuel his anger. "As much as I hate playing into the enemies hands, it'll be great when finally rip their head off!"

Mabui sent him a worried glance. _Is the Kyuubi influencing him?_

"Actually it does matter because if we don't act and find out, it could be worse. How do you want to split forces then Raikage-sama?" Shikamaru said, ignoring Naruto's outburst.

"Sakura, I'd like you to stay with Sasuke, kind of keep your eye on him with me. I believe no one has any objections to this?"

Seeing Naruto about to open his mouth, Sakura silenced him. "No Naruto! He's right. It's best if we stay here and analyze the body more while keeping an eye on Sasuke-kun. We can't risk another attack like that!... In any case, Mabui is a skilled medic as well, so she can be my replacement."

"Fine… I don't give a shit about this situation anymore!" Storming out of the room, Naruto violently slammed the door behind him, speeding off towards wherever his feet would take him.

"I'll go talk with him." Mabui jumped after the blond in a split second, shocking the others.

A simply stared after her with curiosity and a bit of sympathy. "She's never gone after someone like that…" _Except to her dying brother all those years ago…_

**(Outside of Kumogakure)**

_Fuck… After such a short time all this bullshit is already ruining the delicate peace between the nations! And Sasuke… After all the time I spent saving him from his revenge I couldn't change the way he's looked at! _Slamming his hand against a rock repeatedly, Naruto opted to dull his mental conflicts with physical pain and anger. But even so, fear of the killer and what calamities were about to strike the Elemental Nations made their way to his conscience. _Damn it all…_ Feeling a soft hand grab his arm, he raised his eyes in a melancholic fashion.

"Naruto, don't hurt yourself like this! You're lucky I can heal that for you." Mabui inwardly felt her heart rise to her throat, remembering how she looked when she found her brother dead, gutted in every way possible. "Please… tell me what's wrong."

"Mabui-chan… For the first time, I don't know what to do anymore. I thought everything was supposed to be solved after the Jyuubi, after Madara, after Tobi… But now I fear we're up against someone much worse."

Quickly hiding her surprise at the affectionate suffix, Mabui lightly grasped his now healed hand. "When my brother died, I thought being a shinobi meant being emotionless and cold-hearted for the sake of the village. So when I first met you… I'll admit I hated you. Even as a secretary I envied how you could be so happy, so full of life in this unforgiving world! But after the Fourth Shinobi World War, my lowest point, you helped me realize that protecting your loved ones is the only way to claw around the apathy in the world."

"Protect my loved ones… Of course… I'm the Sixth Hokage, and it's my job to do that! Hell, I even told myself that doubting my resolve will be my downfall!" Glancing back at Mabui, Naruto smiled. "Thanks Mabui-chan. I was just too angry to think. I guess we're even then?"

"You could say that, but I think I still owe you a little more." Mabui said, moving closer to him in a trance.

Naruto seemed to stop thinking as he saw Mabui inch closer, her beautiful face complementing her angelic body. Lowering his head to avoid revealing the blush he was developing, he realized that they were both holding hands. "Oh I uh… well… uh…"

Noticing the same situation they were in, Mabui's mind began to restart as she pulled away from the blond. _What the heck was I doing?_ "Sorry! I... I just-I don't know what I was thinking!"

"We should get back to the others!" Naruto spontaneously replied as he ran back in the direction of the village, hoping to avoid the awkwardness.

"You're definitely an interesting one, Naruto-kun…"

**(At the Gates of Kumo)**

"Could they take any longer?" Shikamaru lazily glanced up at the clouds, hoping to spot the two ninjas fall right into his line of sight.

Sai brought out a small book, flipping to a marked page. "Well, according to this book, when a woman chases after a man it usually means that she holds repressed feelings f-"

"How about you repress that last statement? Jeez, you can really lack common sense sometimes." Hearing two sets of feet approaching, Shikamaru begrudgingly got up, sighing rather loudly. "You sure took your time Naruto, Mabui. Raikage-dono has already given us information on the noble clans and gave us the layout of the village, so we shouldn't have any trouble identifying any kind of clan-specific things."

"Sounds good, I'll leave a Hirashin kunai here so we can flash back faster."

"Did you leave on in Yatakumi Village?"

"No." Naruto deadpanned, mocking his lazy attitude as he gave the kunai to the gate guard. "Keep this here at all costs, okay?"

"Hai, Hokage-dono!"

Making one last check of their gear, the four bounded out the gates. As they hopping from rock to rock across the arid lands of Kumo, Naruto took the time to think over his conversation with Mabui. _I wonder what she's hiding from me… She seemed to really choke up about her brother. Could it be that he died? Or maybe that she could never be like him?_

"Mabui-chan, I don't really mean to intrude, but can you tell me about your brother?"

As if her whole personality changed, Mabui looked at him with desolate eyes. "His name was Ryozo, one of the best ninja that Kumo had ever seen. I always used to look up to him as an inspiration to be a ninja, and he'd always be there to help me when my parents weren't." A few tears began to trickle down her cheek as memories began to surface. "He may have always been that big brother, but to me he was like a rival, someone I had to beat to prove myself. But one day he told me he was out for a mission, a short scouting one too… H-He never came back…"

Feeling guilty for letting her relive the experience, Naruto shifted his eyes away. "I'm sorry you lost Ryozo, he really did sound like a great shinobi. You know, before Jiraya Ero-jiji was killed, he would always tell me about his dream for the world. A lot of the times he'd just make jokes about trivial things like 'fishing in Kiri' and 'training across the world', but as I grew up and became Hokage, I could see that those simple activities were impossible back in his day. So I made it my goal to give future generations the chance to do what he couldn't, a peaceful world."

"I know you've had a rough life, but how can you be so optimistic? How can you be a shinobi and not think about those you've killed or lost?"

"Because with every beat of their hearts, I got to live for just another second. Even as a kid when I was brash or shy, there were always people who were there to make my life better. When I became Hokage, I guess I learned to find purpose in the next generation rather than ours. Seeing the future of our nations strive for even greater goals… It humbles me."

"Living in the future… That's just like my brother… He'd always talk about me, saying how I was his 'beautiful' protégé and future Raikage. I think I understand now, that after all these years he never wanted to be the best ninja, but the best brother…" Tears flowed smoothly across her toned face, a small smile gracing her delicate features. "Naruto-kun, I don't know what to say. You just connect with everyone as if you know exactly what they've been through!"

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto chuckled. "Well, that's a skill that comes naturally I guess!"

Shikamaru decided to participate after hearing Mabui's story. "If there's anyone who can make you happy, make you believe in something you never imagined of, it's Naruto. He just has that magical power within him!"

Conversing with each other for the next few hours, the four managed to pass the long trip with ease, though Shikamaru continuously mumbled about Naruto not being able to Hirashin them over there. Arriving in the center of Yatakumi Village, an odd emptiness seemed to pervade the atmosphere.

"Say, weren't there bodies there before?" Naruto pointed to a now empty area that held a few bloodstains.

"…This isn't good, keep your guard up. We might not be the first ones here today…" Shikamaru said, cautiously unraveling a scroll with their objectives. "So it looks like the diplomatic center is uptown. There's a large statue in the front so it should be easy to find."

"How about Mabui-chan and I go there while you guys go search around the village for the dead bodies?" Naruto said, taking the scroll from the Nara's hands.

"Fine, it looks less troublesome that way. Sai, think you can create a whole bunch of rats to scour the area? We'll need to help Naruto and Mabui as soon as we finish."

"Only if you start searching with me and stop daydreaming…"

Leaving the bickering duo to their own plans, Naruto jumped off with Mabui uptown. "Ne, Mabui-chan, was there anything the noble clans had that was important?"

"I don't know for sure, but Yatakumi Village wasn't a major hub for any of them, so maybe that line from the riddle just tells us where to find something." Spotting the building, Mabui jumped right outside the door, firmly grabbing the handle and giving it a tug. Noticing how it didn't even budge, she called out for Naruto. "Can I get some help?"

"With what?" Naruto gave her a questioning look as he stood on a windowsill.

"Baka. I should have expected you'd go through the window."

Dusting off the soot on his shoulders, Naruto looked around in awe at the neatly labeled rooms and ancient decorations. "Why didn't Kumo tear this village down or repopulate it? Why leave it abandoned?"

"This was the birthplace of the First Raikage, so he never wanted it to die out. Right before the Third Shinobi World War there was this rumor that the First was revived. Apparently he haunted the village, which kind of made some sense because over a hundred Iwa shinobi were found dead here. But now it's just here as a sanctuary, a 'tribute' to the First."

Rummaging through some dusty drawers in a room, Naruto found an ornate kunai with a tag that had the kanji for 'thunder' on it. "Hey, is this from the Arashi Clan?"

Mabui eyed the object. "Could be, but what's with all these extra lines around the kanji?"

"Beats me, but there's a chance three more kunai are around, one for each clan right?" Naruto quickly created twenty shadow clones. "Alright guys, spread out and search for kunai that look like this!"

Mabui sighed. "Only you could do that Naruto-kun. But… wouldn't it be easier to just create six clones for the six remaining rooms?"

"Nah, I'm just awesome so I can create more than six!"

"Oi boss! We found them!" A few clones shouted, holding three similar kunai.

"Well, the number of clones doesn't matter now!" Dispelling his clones, Naruto proudly displayed the kunai in front of Mabui's face.

_Tch, show off…_ "Let's talk with the others about these."

Kicking open the doors, the two walked out to find Sai and Shikamaru pacing lazily around the statue. "What the fuck, you guys were here the whole time and didn't help?" Naruto yelled.

"Calm down, we were searching for a while, but then Sai's rats turned up nothing. Plus I knew you'd use shadow clones to find whatever you needed to find, so I deduced that-"

"Ok! I get it! Now be useful and look over these for me." Naruto split the kunai between the four. "So Sai, does this look familiar to you?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because I know _Danzo_ taught you a lot of forbidden sealing techniques. I don't recognize this so there's a chance you might."

"Hmm, good point. A lot of seals he used in Root were chakra activated, so I'm guessing this is the same." Sai flared his chakra, focusing it on the kunai. Almost instantly, it began to glow and the kanji flared red. Then, the lines around it began to glow a light orange color and spread before dissipating at the edges. "Interesting, I don't think-"

All of a sudden, an ear-piercing screech ripped through the area, causing the four to cover their ears in pain. "What the fuck is going on?" Naruto said, quickly blocking out the sound by placing a seal around the group. Spotting what seemed to be figures on the horizon, Naruto began wave and shot for their attention. _Wait, are those people?_ "Oi! State you names and business here!"

In the distance, a man limped along towards the group, joined by three other entities that oozed a black mist. Staring straight at Naruto, their faces devoid of any emotion, the shadowy figures suddenly dashed at an astonishing speed. **"Our master has returned, and he will be pleased with your deaths!"**

* * *

**End Chapter! A/N**: I know this doesn't continue off of the second chapter with what Kurama said, but I will continue that in the next chapter, so don't worry :D. As for ages... well in the manga Mabui was just referenced as young, so I'll say she's around 25 now and Naruto is 21 now, which makes sense. And as always, tell me what you liked, hated, and what I could improve on in a review!


	4. The Kitsune Warrior

******I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Kitsune Warrior**

** "Our master has returned, and he will be pleased with your deaths!"**

"Shit!" Naruto quickly whipped out a kunai and blocked a mad dash by a long-haired man with dark, black marks over his skin. Struggling to parry every blow, Naruto flashed a safe distance away, analyzing the man closely. _Do those marks on his body do anything? I have to be on guard. And those eyes… Why are they impassive? _Glancing at the others, he noticed that the other entities also seemed to be absently engaged in battle as if their minds were disconnected with their actions. _Is someone controlling them? Maybe Edo Tensei?_ "Hey! Who the hell are you guys? You look like puppets to me!"

"**We are simply prophets of an inevitable fate, so embrace it while you have the choice!"**

Finding himself pushed into a corner, Naruto compressed the air around him and flung the man back. Creating three clones, he began to form his most powerful wind jutsu. "Che… Bastards like you can talk all about fate and not realize your own!"

"Naruto-kun! We'll group them up!" Mabui shouted, realizing his intent. "Raiton: False Darkness!"

Shikamaru and Sai both used chakra-enhanced kicks to create some distance between their opponents, pushing them back against the other entities.

"Fuuton: Giant Rasenshuriken!" Naruto threw the immense, spinning rasengan towards the group of shadow warriors, eliciting an ear-splitting scream of defeat as their bodies were ripped to shreds. Making sure the entities were disposed of, Naruto turned his head sharply, glaring at Shikamaru. "I thought you said no one was here!"

"Hey, these guys appeared out of thin air!" Spotting the cloud kunoichi breathe a long sigh of relief and fear, the Nara gave her a questioning look. "Ne Mabui, why are you shaking?"

"These are former cloud shinobi…" She said, trying to quell her fear of fighting her own comrades. Edo Tensei had not been easy to stomach during the world war, and now that she was actively fighting, the moral strain from attacking even treasonous Kumo shinobi was unbearable.

"It's okay Mabui-chan, whoever sent them is trying to battle us in a psychological way. We just have to steel our resolve and do what we have to." Naruto reasoned, hoping to ease her doubts. A sudden rumbling cut him short, piercing the air with a low moaning sound. "What the hell? You guys see this?"

**(With Naruto)**

An ethereal figure with black smoke oozing out of intricate lines etched on its body encompassed the blond's vision, almost choking him with malicious chakra.

"**So that's the man master wants us to break? He looks so frail…"**

Flaring his chakra to quell the killing intent, Naruto shifted his feet to an offensive position. "Still alive, teme? Well fight me then! Show me you're more than just an insignificant being!"

The dark figure instantly appeared in front of him, materializing a large, ornate katana in his right hand. **"You will understand, Uzumaki-san, the meaning of despair."**

"Don't take me lightly!" Creating twenty clones, Naruto engaged in a furious battle of kicks and punches. Noticing that his attacks were simply phasing through it, Naruto quickly changed tactics and shot out a torrent of wind, only for the entity to reappear away from the blast. "Why can't I hit you?"

"**I can control probability here, and for you, fate has decreed your chances as negligible. But don't misunderstand me… For I don't want this world to have winners and losers…"**

**(Meanwhile)**

"What the hell is he talking about? There's nothing there!" Shikamaru exclaimed, panicking as he dodged random volleys of kunai from Naruto. "Sai, restrain him!"

Weaving hand seals, Sai created five snakes that bound around the blond's arms and legs, forcing him to fall onto the ground. "He's releasing massive amounts of chakra! I can't hold on to him much longer!"

"Please…" Mabui quickly rushed over and took out a chakra-suppression seal, eliciting a feral growl from Naruto. "If you're in there… We're not the enemies! Show me you're the Uzumaki we all know and love!"

His eyes shimmered a bit, darting around in confusion as they took in the surroundings. "M-Mabui-chan? What's-"

"Naruto-kun… I'm real, all of this is real! I don't know what happened but you just went on a rampage." Mabui momentarily dropped the seal, opting to grasp his shoulder to see if he understood her.

Suddenly, Naruto began to see his vision shimmer again, replacing the kunoichi with a dark shadow apparition who smirked at his expression of anger. **"Manipulation is a beautiful act isn't it? I know all your weaknesses and the bonds you so **_**dearly**_** cherish. Yet you still can't see the pain reality will bring you!"**

"I'll kill you where you stand!" Bloodlust returning to his eyes, Naruto's chakra flared violently, dissolving the ink snakes that bound him.

Shocked to see Sai immediately faint in exhaustion, Shikamaru propped him by a nearby tree. _Shit, Naruto's going after Mabui_. "Kage Mane-"

"Futon: Godly Wind from the Mountains!" Naruto interjected, blasting the Nara into a nearby building, briefly incapacitating him. Looking back at Mabui with a feral grin, he quickly grabbed the hem of her uniform and swung his arm in a violent arc, devoid of any rational thought. "You're finished!"

Feeling a chakra-enhanced punch blast slam against her gut, Mabui flew back and collided against the side of a building, crying out in pain against the solid rock. Her vision began to blur as she struggled to get up, seeing only the outline of the blond advancing. _He was just talking to me, so he's being controlled! _"Naruto-kun! Snap out of it! It's me, Mabui!"

"I won't let you hurt my precious people you scum!" Advancing upon the cloud kunoichi, Naruto pulled a kunai out of his side pouch, lunging straight for her abdomen. "You're just like the others… Trash that doesn't deserve to live, to exist! I only wish I could have gotten rid of you earlier!"

_I know this isn't true! I just know! Snap out of it!_ "N-Naruto-kun… I-Is that what you really think…" Mabui mentally strained to repress the creeping thoughts of agony as his words pieced into her ears like daggers. Coming from anyone else, those words would be empty with meaning, but coming from Naruto… It was enough to shock her whole body solid.

"Naruto!" Picking himself up from the rubble, Shikamaru raised his hands again for a shadow possession jutsu, but felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder. _Shit, his last jutsu must have broken my arm!_

"Your life ends with me." With that, the kunai pierced Mabui's abdomen, embedding deep within her flesh.

"**Excellent…You will understand our pain now, Uzumaki…" **Time seemed to stop as Naruto held onto the kunai, paralyzed in thought. As if life started back up, the gears in his mind began to spin, taking in the situation before focusing on the struggling kunoichi who was weakly grasping his hands. "Naruto-kun…"

"Oh kami…"

He loosened his hold on the kunai, staggering back as his face showed absolute terror. Hearing a groan in the distance, he saw Shikamaru and Sai's bloodied bodies. _I did all this…_ With his heart rate skyrocketing, Naruto clutched his mind as memories began to flood his conscience.

"Oh kami what have I done? Oh no…" Picking himself up, Naruto took out a Hirashin kunai, only thinking to run away from his carnage. _I know whatever I did was with my own body… my own actions. What kind of Hokage am I if I can't even keep my sanity?_ Feeling the soft hand grip tighter, Naruto stiffened. "Don't worry… I just need to be alone for now…"

Coughing up blood as she tightened her grip, Mabui pulled him to the ground. "Baka… This isn't your fault. Remember you told me to never forsake yourself? That once you turn back it's all over? Well I'm going to be fine, so don't blame yourself…"

Raising her eyes to meet his, she could have sworn they were filled with regret and fear, the same kind she had when her brother lay dying, wiping away her tears as his own began to fall. Naruto was the person who brought her life back, and she didn't want him to be so hard on himself.

"Mabui, are you alright? Are you back to normal Naruto?" Shikamaru limped over to the pair, supporting a disoriented Sai on his shoulder.

Naruto opted to look away, letting his words reflect his emotions. "What I did here today can't be waived by the implication that I was controlled. My actions put your lives in jeopardy, and I should be punished for that."

"You're the Hokage! I won't let this-"

"It's for the best. In a world like this, honor is everything to me, so I'll let the Raikage do what he needs to. If death is the verdict, then so be it for the sake of peace."

Shocked at his irrational proclamation, Mabui ignored her wounds and grasped his shoulder violently. "What the fuck are you talking about? Have you no morals or a mind? Are you just going to leave all the people you love behind? Give up on them? I thought you cared, but you're just another cold-hearted shinobi."

Feeling the stress of his encounter rule his actions, Naruto gripped her chin and forced her to look at him. "What do you know about me? Sure your brother died, but I lost everyone that should have been there when I was born! After I killed Obito and Madara, I thought I could stop people from ending up like me but…" In an instant, his eyes turned blood red, reflecting the spike in malicious chakra he was emitting. "I guess all I've done is help ungrateful people like you enjoy a carefree life."

"Shadow Imitation Technique!" Shikamaru bound Naruto's legs and arms together, immobilizing his movements. "It's not like you to lash out like that, Naruto. As much as I hate to say it, I think it's best if we keep you like this."

Reverting a more depressed expresssion, Naruto nodded. "I don't care what happens from now on."

**(Hours later, in Kumo)**

"So he attacked you?" A said, struggling to imagine the hero of the shinobi world turning on his own comrades.

"Hai Raikage-sama. Sai, Mabui and I were able to stay alive at the least. But I'll say he had a blank look on his face, as if something was clouding his vision." Shikamaru had Sai redraw some of the situations they were in when Naruto began to unleash his rampage, pointing out how he was attacking thin air and yelling things that didn't make sense.

"Well, I believe you all. But I have no power because Kumo has a council to decide these matters. I can try and persuade them but they're known to be war hawks like that Danzo guy…"

"I see. How are Mabui and Sai doing?"

"Sai's lucky he only has a few broken ribs, nothing that a little rest and fix. Mabui has a deep stab wound that we're working to stabilize now as well as multiple lacerations and bruises. I'm afraid such a display of brutality is unacceptable, so I'm holding Hokage-dono in a temporary prison cell now, if you don't mind."

Shikamaru took a thinking pose, weighing the possibilities of letting Naruto free. _Well, I do have the power to forbid any imprisonment, but it would be best for him to cool down…_ "I see no problem with that. But I will contest any drastic actions your _council_ may want. Is there a chance Sakura could check him over?"

"She's there with Sasuke, so I'm sure she's already doing that as we speak."

**(With Naruto)**

Sakura moved her hands across Naruto's head, scanning for any difference in cell activity or brain composition. "Well, good news is that you're not psychotic. This might have something in common with Sasuke-kun's condition too, but I'll have to check with the hospital for the tests I'm running. Just hold tight Naruto."

Leaning against the wall in exasperation, Naruto looked to his right to see Sasuke aimlessly tracing patterns on the prison wall. "Now I see how it really is to be alone, Sasuke. Maybe I could have realized that earlier at the Valley of the End."

"Hn. I can't deny the fact that I felt a bit of remorse killing Madara and Obito simply because they were Uchiha, but that was for the best. The Uchiha needed to change directions, and I'm glad I got a second chance to do so."

Moving into a sleeping position, Naruto closed his eyes. "We're going to be here for a while, so don't bother talking to me. I'm going to see if Kurama knows anything about our affliction."

"Hn. I suppose I should sleep too, lest I break myself out and cause more trouble."

**(Naruto's Mindscape)**

"Kurama, I have something very important to discu-"

"BAKA" Before he could react, a fist collided with his forehead, sending his head towards the ground.

"K-Kurama, what the hell was that for?"

"You just had to get yourself controlled while I was stuck here watching you helplessly! I can't forgive you for that you… you…" Pulling Naruto up, she embraced him in a hug, burying her head in the crook of his neck. "I'm sorry, it's just I felt powerless for the first time in my life."

Returning the hug, Naruto spoke softly. "It's alright, I only have myself to blame. On top of that I said some really harsh things to Mabui-chan. I don't think I can repair our friendship after that…"

"Well, she might be afraid that you can be controlled anytime, but if you had noticed, I was trying to purge you of foreign chakra."

"Oh really?… I guess I'm oblivious even to myself. Wait… Does that mean the chakra from those things was the cause?"

"Of course! I don't know how, but once their chakra entered your body it began to control the flow of your chakra. I tried my best, but it was like pinpointing a drop of water in an ocean."

"But what about back when I was in the Hokage Tower? No one forced their chakra into me!"

"I don't know everything Naruto! It's all very new to me too… I'm trying my best, okay?"

Shifting his gaze in the opposite direction, Naruto sighed. "I'll just train harder next time so that I won't fall into the same trap. Now, I came to ask about being the Sage of the Kitsune. What were you implying with that?"

"I figured out that being in Kitsune Sage mode will allow you to prevent someone from overtaking your body. Now sit down so I can talk to you about some specifics."

Smirking in delight, Naruto took a meditative position. "But that's not the only reason I came here today." Closing his eyes, Naruto began to expel massive amounts of chakra, weaving multiple hand signs as the landscape around him began to change. "Stabilize!"

Kurama stood in awe as she now stood facing a beautiful landscape with flowing grass and a small but cozy house in front of an empyreal sky. A small breeze picked up, washing over her supple face as turned to Naruto, eyes reflecting surprise and joy. "When could you do this?"

Naruto smirked. "I've been training my mental prowess since the war ended. This was meant to be my gift to you after such a long war, but I had troubles with chakra control. On top of that, I uh… I never really had time to do this until now, but this would have made your Rikudō-oji proud right? To see that someone is finally taking care of his creations?"

Lying down in the field, Kurama patted an area on her right, beckoning him to do the same. "You know… He was the kind of man whose real power was the ability to understand the people around him. I can't tell you how many smiles he elicited from all the people he met since his personality was so infectious… just like yours…"

Staring back at her, Naruto found himself lost in the crimson oceans of her eyes, wanting to dive in and never resurface. "I can see why you loved him. After all, someone as perfect as you could only be made with a pure and joyous heart."

Turning to avoid showing her flustered face, Kurama began to sputter. "Y-You just don't know when to keep your mouth shut, Naruto-kun..."

"Naruto-kun now? I see how it is. Who would have ever thought you were into that kind of mortal and immortal relationship?" He teased.

"Baka! When a Bijuu's true form is revealed, they are bound to their user for life and beyond. So I'll be tied with you for all of eternity!"

"So you accept the fact that-"

Sighing loudly, Kurama curled her lip and huffed, opting to block out his teasing. Feeling that the situation was too awkward, she got up and kicked Naruto in the ribs, hoping to use training to cover for herself. "Get up, we have work to do!"

Dusting his clothes off, Naruto cracked his knuckles in anticipation. _It's always fun to mess around with your sensei. _"Before we begin, isn't Kurama a male name? I mean I know Rikudō Sennin didn't exactly know your gender, but there are plenty of names you could choose from now."

"Well, there's just a special feeling with the name Kurama. It's one of those sentimental things I guess."

"Okay Kurama-chan, or dare I say Kura-chan, let's get training started!" Naruto began to pace around, settling on a traditional taijutsu stance.

_Idiot… Are you trying to get on my nerves?_ "I told you, you need to listen to my lecture about negative chakra and manipulation first. I know it isn't your type of thing, but it's important."

Sighing loudly, Naruto deflated into a sitting position. "Kura-chan, please don't make this boring…"

"Well, I suppose I should start at the very basic concept of negative chakra. Essentially you've seen it used in the form of a Bijūdama, but what I'm going to teach you is how to manipulate it, kind of like a Kekkei Genkai."

"So that means-"

Giving Naruto a glare, Kurama silenced him. "I'm not done… Anyways you will be learning how to perform Kūton (Void Release), which will allow you to do many unique forms of jutsu you already know, like Kage Bunshin. But there is a catch for humans like you."

"I need to collect negative chakra from my surroundings because I don't produce it naturally."

"Exactly. Now the process is exactly the same as your sage mode, but now you have to sense that which you can't understand."

Furrowing his brows, Naruto gave her a questioning look. "I have to sense negative chakra, but I don't know what it is or how to collect it. So how does that make sense?"

Sighing, Kurama formed a small ball of negative chakra in the palm of her hand before shooting it far into the sky. "I'm afraid I can't explain it. Some things are just that mysterious and difficult, but I would guess you have to start thinking beyond what you know in order to sense it, but then you still wouldn't be able to…"

Creating two hundred clones, Naruto instructed them to take his usual meditative position. "I'll just try to empty my mind of all thoughts and hopefully sense something of importance. There can't be that many ways to do this right?"

"Well, there is negative chakra all around us, but it's like space, infinite and without form. Kūton is meant to be used by people with prolific minds, but the thing is, it could be impossible for someone as young as you. The only person I know who was able to use it was Oji-san, but even so it took him decades to perfect it. I just hoped that you could learn it because then I would be able to fully transfer my negative chakra to you and prevent any foreign energy from overtaking your body… but now I don't know anymore…"

"Che, you're talking to the Sixth Hokage! Nothing's impossible with hard work, and for me, I've been through the unreasonable and back, dattebayo! I'll forsake my own thoughts if I have to!"

Pulling his face towards her own, Kurama let out a short breath of fear. "Just promise this… Whenever you feel like you're being controlled, don't be afraid to call me out. That may be the best we can achieve now, or maybe in the long run too."

Moving closer so that their eyes were just centimeters apart, Naruto chuckled. "Don't worry about me so much. I promise you I can do this… After all, what can't I do when the lives of my loved ones are on the line?"

Watching as he pulled back and began to concentrate on meditating, Kurama felt as if something deep inside her mind was taking form. _Why is it that I don't see him as a comrade, but something more? I just want to protect you Naruto-kun… "_Is this what Oji-san was talking about? How one person could bring our lives to have purpose?" She whispered to herself, musing about the foreign emotions that were clouding her thoughts.

"Ne… Kura-chan. How would I know when I've succeeded?" Naruto spoke, breaking the silence.

"Normally you'd take on unique features based on your thoughts, but since you're a Jinchuuriki, you should take on kitsune-like features. You can also practice meditating out of your mindscape too, and the effects should be the same."

"So, besides the whole 'I can't be controlled' thing and the benefit of having enhanced physical abilities, what else does it give me? The power to summon foxes and do whatever jutsu I want?" He joked.

"Actually there isn't a fox summoning contract I know of, but doing whatever jutsu you want is not far from the truth. In fact, every jutsu in the ninja world has certain properties and effects we know about, but with negative chakra, it could have limitless possibilities."

"Would you happen to know any?"

Kurama sighed. "No… Not because I can't control negative chakra, but the fact that I couldn't use hand seals to do so until now. So in terms of jutsu I'm learning alongside you."

"Guess there's a first time for everything."

Noticing his mindscape beginning to blur, Naruto dispelled his clones and placed his hand on Kurama's cheek. "I know I haven't come by often, but know that I'm glad to know someone like you… I promise I'll visit more often, Kura-chan. Until next time, Ja ne!"

Watching him fade, Kurama felt a twinge of sadness in her heart. _Why am I feeling like this? There's something interesting about you, Naruto-kun… _

**(With Raikage and the Council)**

"We are here today to discuss the case of Hokage-dono and his apparent assault on a Kumo shinobi." A burly man stated, resting hands on a rough, oak table.

"I say that there is insufficient evidence linking Hokage-dono's mental state to his attacks on our fellow shinobi and his own shinobi." A began before a thin man stood, bearing a face that had a striking resemblance to Danzo.

"A-dono, I understand your concern but we shouldn't let or emotions cloud our judgement."

Cursing silently, A wisely kept his cool. "I know that. What do you suggest then?"

A small smirk adorned the man's face. "I formally present the option that Hokage-dono be executed for crimes against humanity."

* * *

**End Chapter! A/N**: I know, I know. I'm pretty evil ending with a cliffhanger, but I hope this chapter picked up the pace a bit from the last one! As for Naruto's training, to clear a few things up, he's trying to learn the fabled Void release which is (not coincidentally) the fifth element of Japanese philosophy. I'm probably going to try to base it on his original sage training, but with more of a mental battle than physical one. Anyways, please tell me what you liked, hated, and what I could improve on in a review! Until next time, Ja Ne!


	5. Trials and Tribulations

**********I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Trials and Tribulations**

"I formally present the option that Hokage-dono be executed for crimes against humanity."

A's eyes widened as he heard one of his most trusted advisors make such a bold proclamation. "Hosuke, are you crazy? It's not like you to jump to conclusions!"

"I only want all the benefits of world peace like Hokage-dono fought for in the war and none of the so called 'sacrifices' that come with it. So I suggest everyone look at Article 5 Section 2 of the peace treaty." Unfurling a long, crisp copy of the peace treaty signed in the after math of the war, Hosuke traced his finger over a particularly obscure line. "All attacks made by Shinobi of a nation against those of another nation shall be punished as seen fit by their respective commanding person or persons."

Garnering a decent number of nods of recognition in the room, Hosuke rested his arms on the table, forming a reserved but condescending smile. "I know what you're thinking A. Konoha doesn't have a council, so who qualifies for the position? Well, only the Hokage and his second in command..." He reclined into a comfortable position then fiddled around with an ornate ring wrapped around his left index finger as if the matter at hand was not worth his intelligence. "Ah! But Hokage-dono is the perpetrator in this case! So it will be up to his second in command and us to make the decision. Now A, if you would, bring in Shikamaru-san so we can end this matter."

Glaring daggers at his former friend, A stormed out of the room. "Che… despicable…"

**(With Naruto)**

The sun streamed through a small window, illuminating Naruto with its soft crimson rays. His eyes slowly fluttered open as his mind began to stir, adjusting to the brightness. He yawned, baring his elongated canines in a vulpine fashion. "What do you want? Can't you see I'm tired?"

A man walked up to the cell, his ninja headband clearly adorned with the Konoha symbol. "Yeah, we all are _Hokage-sama_, but we have greater problems to deal with. Kumo is restless after your recent stunt and it turns out there's someone aiming to take advantage of the situation."

Forcing himself to get up, Naruto swiveled his feet to the floor and arched his back. "Ahh… A long nap does wonders to the body. You know, if I were you Shikamaru, I'd be out sleeping out in the sun. You know I can handle whatever these guys throw at me."

He cocked his head in confusion. "I would do that… but this is important. _Really_ important. From what I've been able to gather, there's a voice of dissent in the jury."

"Why should it matter? It's one vote, not the majority."

Pulling out a dossier from his bag, Shikamaru tossed it to him through the metal bars. "I've done my research. The guy's Hosuke, a clean-cut civilian with no familial ties whatsoever to any ninja. He's labeled as simple advisor, but I think I've found some dirt on his pretty little face that we can use against him."

Naruto opened the folder, immediately surprised at the amount of information it contained. "Where did you find this? As much as I hate to admit it, this is way too personal to read…"

"Heh. I know you're curious, so just take a look. Besides, think of it as punishment for Kumo's horrible security system. The only guard on duty just left on a self-appointed break. I bet even Kiba could have taken it."

Chuckling at the thought, Naruto pulled out a short biography of the man. Opting peruse the finely written print in silence, he mentally noted the rough sketch of Hosuke on the front cover, a man in his mid-thirties with a long streak of white hair across the right side of his head and almost turquoise eyes. "So basically we've got another war hawk like Danzo who wants me in prison. _Fabulous_…" Running his hands through the golden locks of his tousled hair, he contemplated what options there were to avoid persecution. "By any chance, is Mabui still angry over our whole… _incident_ there? If anything she would be the only one capable of overturning the council's decision."

Shikamaru shook his head. "She's just angry, but then again she's also testifying. In fact the last I saw of her was around one of the training grounds. Whatever you pulled back in Yatakumi Village shook her up pretty bad… I mean her eyes were like as cold as Sasuke's."

"Mind getting her over here? I'll try to mend our relationship and apologize for my actions."

"How about saying sorry to me and Sai first? You know we were caught in the crossfire!"

Stroking his chin, Naruto thought for a minute before offering him a vulpine grin. "Eh. I know you guys too well."

_Why do I bother… _"Fine, I'll get her for you, but I expect compensation the next time around." Hearing a set of footsteps approach, Shikamaru was surprised to see a stoic faced A pry open the door to the prison ward with a forlorn expression. "Raikage-dono? I thought you were with the council."

"Ah Shikamaru, you've saved me a lot of searching! I was going to talk privately with Naruto, but since you're here…" Motioning for his guards to step out, A lowered his voice. "One of my advisors managed to exploit a loophole in the peace agreement and turn it against you guys. From the looks of it, execution is going to be the final decision."

Caressing his temples in trepidation, Shikamaru cursed. "That's a lot worse than I expected… What the hell do they have against Naruto? This kind of ploy would rile up the whole continent!... Wait, Hosuke came up with this? Don't you have a say in it?"

"Unfortunately, our powers are split amongst each other. As for _him_, he's not a very bright type to start with, so if I could guess he's either been keeping a low profile or accepting help from some twisted vigilante who wants instability. But I have to say, he's spotless, not even a single complaint or criminal act filed against him in his life."

Shikamaru glanced back at Naruto, seeing his eyes shift towards the window in the cell. "Well… I think you might be wrong…"

Raising an eyebrow, A looked over to the Hokage and saw his hands full of papers and photos. "Is that-"

"Yeah, just overlook the fact that we obtained it by questionable means. I assume you have no problem?"

A grinned. "As much as I disapprove of your methods, you read me well. Hokage-dono, once you're done, let me have them and I'll get Mabui here to escort you to court. We'll work things out, I promise."

Naruto glanced up at the burly man, tossing him the dossier. "It's going to be a hell of a battle I tell you. I don't even know what to say against this guy."

"Well, he wasn't the brightest man on the council, nor was he a radical. But one thing he did do well was keep himself in the shadows. I guess that paid off for the bastard."

"Sorry to say but, he's _completely_ innocent. Something makes me think he's in league with someone else."

A and Shikamaru mused on the topic for a while, trying to figure out motives and strategy. As the minutes ticked by, a thin guard walked in on the two, politely ushering them out with a wave of his wrinkly hand. His eyes seemed to be a bleak grey, scanning monotonously across the jail cells before he pulled the steel door shut.

"So, find anything useful about Hosuke?"

Naruto turned to see Sasuke staring at him with his cold, onyx eyes. "I almost forgot you were here… "

"Tends to happen a lot."

"But anyways, yeah. It looks like this guy is either some genius who can hide from the public or some pawn in league with the _real_ mastermind behind this plot to kill me." Having an epiphany, he beckoned the Uchiha to scoot closer to the cell divider. He then lowered his voice to a hush. "Not to intrude, but from your experiences, which theory is more logical?"

Scowling at his intentions, Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Che… Expecting the worst from me? He obviously has someone in the shadows. The only problem is finding out who."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Yeah. A spotless man like him can only gain the wit of a criminal by learning from the _best_. And the _best_ is the cause for your current predicament, dobe."

Naruto sighed in resignation. As Sasuke returned to his thoughts, he brought his hand to the stone wall, rapping it three times to get the attention of the guard. Seeing the small figure walk in with the same, brooding expression as before, Naruto smilied. "Hey, can I get some water?"

The old man wrinkled his moustache in suspicion, crossing his arms in response. "I'm not stupid. You'll probably spread it onto the cracks in the wall and force it to freeze with your wind-natured chakra, weakening the structure so you can make an escape."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, I gave you less credit than you deserve!"

The man snorted at his comment. "If you've been guarding this place for forty years, you tend to catch on to those kinds of people. You're dangerous though. A chakra-sapping room like this barely suppresses your own."

"Maybe I don't want to get out of here. Maybe I do."

"But then you'd cause more trouble than it's worth. Trust me Hokage-dono. I'm not completely ignorant of the current crisis you're in."

Naruto glanced at the man, taking in his lithe but athletic form. His face was rough, having a sandy hue of flesh and eyes twinkling with a battle-hardened gaze. If anything, he seemed to possess a body twenty years younger than it should be. "You don't seem to be the type to guard prisons. Did A send you here?"

"Very astute observation, both accurate and concise. In fact, I'm not even an old man. Name's Tomiichi, I've been prison guard for about thirteen hours now."

Gripping his outstretched hand, Naruto cordially shook it. "Why henge as an old man though? Surely you're one of A's most trusted shinobi."

"Well… I came here in a rather odd manner. I woke up at the front gates with no memory of the last couple of years. But it turns out I was a rather skilled ninja so A took me in as a jonin. Call it amnesia or whatever you want, but I'm kinda skeptical about it all."

"And you should be. People these days don't just show up on a whim." Sasuke leaned against the bars of his cell, once again subtly intruding on the conversation. "If I were you, I'd be out finding an explanation rather than rotting away as a guard."

Tomiichi shot him a sardonic look. "I'm sorry. You must be getting all the attention these days. I_ clearly_ should try to make as many enemies as I can and then-"

"I get your point… you bastard. Naruto, why is it you get along with everyone? I'd fry this asinine buffoon the minute I could."

"Well, it involves good will and the ability to see that he's actually the reason we've been kept away from the harsher criminals Kumo houses. As good as we may be, I doubt we could survive against multiple A or B ranked shinobi under their "prison hierarchy" rules." Naruto said, flaunting his silver-tongued demeanor. "Now only if that worked against the jury…"

"Well, A assigned me a week ago to see what the council was up to. They've been acting strangely ever since you arrived. He expected some of the bolder characters to make a move, but Hosuke caught us all off guard… except for me. You see, he'd mumble to himself whenever he was in his room, talking about 'lords', 'duty' and some trinket he had." He paused, pulled out an ornate looking bundle of jewelry. "Speaking of which, I have that _trinket._ It's illegal on my part to have taken it, but it might be of use to you against Hosuke." He threw it into the cell, clearly revealing it was a ring with intricate gold and silver bands within a larger gem of ruby. "I heard him worship this thing all the time while I was assigned. All you need to do is flash it in front of his eyes and I'm sure he'll react."

Naruto furrowed his brows in confusion as he slipped it on his right index finger. "And I can trust you because…?"

"Hey I'm giving you a good reason to believe me you know. What else do you have against him? Just ask the others in court. I'm sure they haven't come up with any evidence _close_ to this."

As if on cue, a distinct feminine voice called for the jailer. Groaning in confusion, Naruto retreated back to his cot at the back end of the cell, trying to clear his mind.

"Looks like she's here to take you. I wish you good luck at the trial, Hokage-dono. You'll probably need _that_ to sway the council in your favor." Tomiichi said, walking over to unlock the prison door. "And please… If you need to refer to me, use the name I'm under now, Hiromasa."

Before he could question him, the door swung open, revealing Mabui. "It's time for the courtroom. Just don't do anything stupid and I'll be able to scrape you by without any problem."

Naruto visibly paled and his blood rushed to his feet. "Wait, 'scrape my by' as in barely able to exonerate me? That's not a very good statement to rely on…"

"It doesn't matter in the end. We're here to save you because you _deserve_ it. Nothing's ever worse than what you've experienced right?" Mabui interjected in a slightly condescending manner, though her face was stoic and unreadable. Unlocking the cell doors for the two, she grabbed a set of handcuffs bound by a heavy chain and latched them onto his hands.

Feeling her clamp down rather harshly on his wrists, Naruto grimaced, knowing that her anger might burst if he said the wrong words. "Look Mabui-chan-"

"You _will_ refer to me as Mabui-san and nothing else. I'm going to be testifying in this case so think of it as a _favor_ that you should reciprocate." Her face began to contort with slight anger.

Opting to stay silent the whole way, Naruto occasionally glanced at Mabui, hoping that she'd show a conspicuous sign of geniality. But as the courtroom appeared, her face was the same as it started, cold and unresponsive. As the council gathered, he could see that Hosuke commanded an air of confidence, sashaying into the room as if he was a god.

"Esteemed gentlemen and women of the court, the trial of Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze is now in session." Shifting into a provocative yet commanding sitting position, he continued. "I hereby present the evidence that has been verified by us and we shall come to a verdict after both sides have explained their cases. First up, I call the lovely Mabui, the victim in this terrible betrayal."

"Thank you. I would like to start by saying that a peculiar change came over Hokage-dod as we analyzed some artifacts in Yatakumi Village. He seemed to grasp out at the air as if someone was waiting for him… And then he just lashed out with his kunai at all of us, stabbing me in the stomach and forcing me to submit to his power. It seemed like he was possessed, but I couldn't quite get a read on him because I was so frightened."

Feeling his hope drop at every word she spoke to the podium, Naruto began to seriously consider Tomiichi's wild assumption about the ring. _She's just recounting the story, but her anger is clouding all the important facts…_

"As you can see, it must have taken an incredible amount of strength to talk about the man who wanted nothing else but murder and bloodshed. You did very well, Mabui-hime." Hosuke said, waving his arms for the next witness to take the stand.

Feeling anger rush to his mind, Naruto blurted without thinking. "I thought court officials were supposed to keep their emotions separate from the case!"

"Are you defending yourself then?"

"Damn right I am! This whole jury is rigged!"

Hosuke cracked a small grin. "Since Namikaze-san has agreed to defend himself, Shikamaru-san will no longer be taking the stand."

Looking back at Shikamaru, Naruto saw him face-vault and slam the table in frustration. _Shit… I did something stupid…_ Sighing, Naruto walked up to the podium, cautiously recounting his experience and putting extra emphasis on the fact that he was controlled. He then explained the possibility of mind control, and decided to conclude by implying a retrial. "In conclusion, this is a shinobi matter and, of course I respect every one of you in this room, I think it should be handled by such people."

Hosuke stood up and silenced the murmuring council members. "Excellent point, but unfortunately I think we've seen all that we need to make a verdict."

Bringing his right hand up for everyone to see, Naruto began to wriggle the ring in a very noticeable manner. _This better work. _"If that's the case, I might as well start forfeiting my possessions. It's truly a shame it's come to this."

"Wait… That ring… It seems familiar. Hand it over" Hosuke beckoned him to bring it over, extending his arm.

Smirking inwardly, Naruto refitted it on his finger and feigned shock. "You're ring? I obtained it from a gentleman in the market. He said it contained only the finest ruby etched with gold and silver bands."

"You fool… That's the ring from my quarters! I should have you tried for theft along with assault!"

Half-expecting a large shout of defiance from the man, Naruto was surprised when a meek voice penetrated the tense atmosphere. "H-Hosuke.. Is it true that this was in your room?"

"Why of course it is Mabui! Don't worry, I'll have _Hokage-dono_ charged with theft as well."

Naruto watched as her facial expression collapsed, a sense of immense sadness and grief replacing her features. As she ambled towards him, he instinctively placed it in her hands. "Mabui-chan… Is this…"

"It was my brother's…"

The courtroom grew silent, all turning towards Hosuke with questioning glares. "Well this is an absolute misunderstanding! I sent one of my assigned shinobi out on a short mission a couple years ago and he came back with this ring! Said it was just dropped on the ground!"

A, who has been silent the entire time, began to speak. "You're not allowed to be sending your shinobi on missions. Tell me, when did this happen?"

"Well, only a year or so before the war… It was a one day mission. May 13th I think." Hosuke replied, beginning to feel the pressure emanating from all the skepticism in the room.

"That was the day Ryozo died… My brother… I swear I took that ring from his hand as he was laid to rest in the cemetery and set it on the counter of my house. But the next morning it disappeared, vanished as if it had never existed. Do you EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH IT MEANT TO ME, HOSUKE!"

"I… Suspend proceedings in this court until further notice!" Hosuke suddenly disappeared in a flash of black, resembling some unique substitution jutsu.

"Great, so another power hungry fool who poses as a civilian when he's really a ninja. Perfect. So I assume all charges are dropped against me?" Naruto smirked at the dumbfounded council members who shook their heads in affirmation. Turning back to Mabui who was torn between crying and pure rage, he lightly gripped her shoulder. "Look Mabui-chan… I'm sorry. I know how much he meant to you and the kind of effort you put in trying to make life better. I was a fool. I let my emotions control my actions and… I deserve whatever you want to say to me."

Softening her gaze, she slid the ring onto her right ring finger and sighed. "We'll talk about that later. For now, just help me find Hosuke so I can _interrogate_ him about what he knows."

* * *

**End Chapter! A/N**: I've been recently looking at my past chapters, and I honestly think I should be giving a bit more spunk, shall I say, to the characters. Also, I brought back Ryozo, Mabui's OC brother, and also Tomiichi (Or Hiromasa), but don't worry. There won't be that many OC characters. As for Hosuke, If you think he's a pompous, aristocratc ass, then I've succeeded in making him that way ;D.

As a side note, this is a bit of a shorter chapter, but I wanted to do that because I felt like the trial in itself would be a pretty important development in the story.

For the next chapter, you can expect some answers... training... and maybe a bit more. As always, tell me what you liked, hated, and what you thought could be improved in a little Review!


	6. Mysteries Explored

**************I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Mysteries Explored**

** Hosuke Sabuza clutched his chest in agony**, painfully aware that his asthma was beginning to wear him down. Feeling his legs begin to wobble precariously like a strained branch, he threw himself into an empty alleyway and slumped along a wall. Taking short breaths to minimize noise, he cautiously glanced around. Silently cursing as he saw Naruto and the others in the distance, he reluctantly pulled his body up and ran further into the alley.

When he passed a corner, one of his safe houses came into view, tucked away within a large apartment complex. "Perfect." Shoving people out of his way, he pried open the door, bolted it shut, and placed his ear next to the keyhole. As an avalanche of feet pass harmlessly through the street, he let out a breath of relief. "He's better than I thought…"

Suddenly a voice materialized behind him. "Leave it up to the Kages to fail at catching you."

Hosuke's heart began to quicken as the voice continued. "You're lucky none of them were sensory ninjas. They always give people like us trouble, no?" The voice paused for a moment, chuckling in an odd way. "You know, I shouldn't be saying that. I don't associate with trash like you."

"Who the hell are you?" Hosuke said, gritting his teeth at the snide comment.

"I'm just a law-abiding shinobi who decided to find trouble. Now, I'll give you two options."

Eighty beats per minute.

"First, hold up your hands and surrender."

Ninety beats per minute.

"Or second, I'll kill you."

One hundred ten beats per minute; he raised his arms. "Okay, okay, I concede! What do you want? I have money, I have property… Just name your price; I'll make it worth your while!"

A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and gave him a shove towards the door. "You're in no place to be bargaining. Now start walking."

With sweat pouring down his face, Hosuke turned the knob and paced outside. _If I can get him now, it'll be over._ Slowly reaching to his belt, he pulled out a kunai and then quickly thrust it behind him, feeling the squelch of soft flesh against the cold metal. Satisfied, he combed back his hair and smirked. "You're all talk and no skill. And I was told we had some of the finest shinobi in the five nations."

A laugh came from the top of the building. "You really think you had the upper hand? Please Hosuke, next time… confirm your kills."

The deceased body began to flicker before transforming into a pillar of white lightning, shocking Hosuke until he fell to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

_**Earlier…**_

Naruto shoved his way through the busy crowd as he watched Hosuke disappear further down the street. "Tch. What kind of body flicker technique did he use?"

A sighed as he muttered under his breath. "I'm beginning to think my whole village is full of traitors."

"It doesn't matter now that we managed to track him down. I'll try to follow him on the rooftops. If we can flank him he won't be able to escape." Mabui shouted as she leapt in the sky and disappeared.

Offering a smirk to A, Naruto pulled his fingers together into a plus sign. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" In an instant, twenty clones dispersed into the sky and launched themselves in different directions.

"Should've guessed you'd use that, but is it really going to help? Hosuke isn't an idiot and he's probably knowledgeable about your abilities."

He shook his head in amusement. "There's a world of difference from _knowing_ and _experiencing_."

As Naruto shuffled past the idle crowds, he could make out the vague outline of the councilman a few blocks away. Clumsily tripping over a box of food, he alerted Hosuke, who disappeared around the corner once again. _Why do I feel like I'm chasing Tora the cat again?… I just suck at these easy missions._ Spending countless minutes scouring the empty alleyway, Naruto was surprised to hear a loud scream off in the distance. Gliding over the rooftops, he spotted the man convulsing on the ground. Looking up, he saw Tomiichi jump down and handcuff Hosuke to the railing of the house. "I swear I'm going to leave Kumo if I have to deal with any more of these fools."

Naruto furrowed his brows in confusion. "Tomiichi? Aren't you supposed to be guarding the prison?"

"Some other guy unlucky enough to get the job is taking my shift." Spotting the Raikage land a few feet from Naruto, he jerked his thumb towards the councilman. "A-dono, what do you want to do with this?"

"Keep him there. Mabui is going to be here soon and she'll want to question him." A said, slightly annoyed that Naruto had arrived before him.

On cue, the dark-skinned lady appeared from the rooftops and immediately approached the unconscious Hosuke, pulling him up by the hem of his robe. "Wake up you prick. If you don't answer me, I'll personally cut off your family jewels and shove them so far up your ass that you'll be begging me to kill you!"

Naruto visibly paled as she continued her fiery rant, feeling a sense of fear from being next to such a _demonic_ woman. "Er, Mabui-chan, why don't save that for when he's actually rebelling? You might… uh… hinder him from talking."

"Hokage-dono has a point you know. Please, I value my _assets_ very much, thank you." Hosuke groaned as he fought to shake off the lingering electrical pulse from his muscles. "As for that ring, I'll admit it. I sent my men out to take anything of value from your brother." He forced a devious smirk onto his face. "I'd do it again if I could."

Mabui's face began to contort, ready to explode with anger. "You son of a bitch, it was you that night… I should kill you here!"

"Doing that would shame your brother. He was the most useful ninja we had, always putting his job before family, trust before defiance, and best of all, duty before emotions."

She clenched her hands until they were white enough to reflect the sun's rays back onto his face. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE MAN I CALLED 'BROTHER'"

Feeling blow after blow connect with his face, Hosuke laughed in contempt. "Fortunately, it looks like my lord has other plans for me. He'll bring eternal salvation to this world, a place without winners or losers, a utopia filled with all the beauties of life and none of its atrocities! Now languish in the fact that you are not chosen like me!" His eyes began to grow wide and a tenebrous form engulfed his body. He cried out in agony and pleasure, shouting a jumbled mixture of words before completely dissipating into the air.

Stunned, Mabui waved her hands where he was a moment ago, grasping at the empty air as if he'd become transparent.

"Well I'll be damned... That doesn't usually happen…" Tomiichi commented, walking over to examine the empty handcuffs that drooped from the railing.

Naruto gave a questioning look at Mabui who was now on her knees, punching the ground Hosuke had been in just seconds ago. "Hey, he's gone… You're going to hurt yourself. I promise we'll find him."

"All I ever wanted was for my brother to be remembered as a hero, not some corpse that greedy shits like Hosuke can leech off of! What did I do to deserve this? What did I do wrong? Why-"

"Did I ever tell you I hate people who think like that?" Mabui shrank back a few steps as Naruto's cold, blue eyes bore into her soul.

"I-"

"You're your own person." She gasped as he suddenly grasped her chin. "Your brother wouldn't want to see you like this."

Moving his hand up, Naruto lightly cupped her face, causing her to blush. She diverted her eyes, but the image of his face seemed to linger for a few seconds. "I just don't know anymore. I… I just wanted him to be here to see me all grown up…"

"Bleh! Get a room you two! A-dono and I can look into what in Kami just happened. You guys can… you know…" Tomiichi interrupted, slowly trailing off as he realized Naruto shooting him a death glare.

"I agree." A said, defusing the situation. He quickly pulled Naruto aside for a brief chat. "Hey… Go talk with her alright? I've never seen her like that since her brother's death. You might be the only person she can open up to, so between us kage, can you do that?"

Naruto whispered back. "I'll do it. If anything, I would never let any of my precious people down."

* * *

Evening drew its dusky blanket across the sky, leaving only a small space for the waning light to shine through. "The sun's beautiful, isn't it?" Naruto swirled the ice cubes in his margarita, watching the golden rays of sunlight flare across the surface with each rotation. Gazing aimlessly, his eyes settled on her crestfallen face, casting a hopeful feeling of understanding. "It was always like a parent I never had. Even though it left every day, I knew it would come back someday to cheer me up."

Mabui shifted in her seat as she let out an exasperated sigh. "I know what I said to you at Yatakumi Village was wrong. I was just… caught up in situation." She set her drink down, opting to look away from Naruto. "But I'm just selfish type aren't I? In the end, I guess I just wanted someone to unload all my anger onto…"

Naruto eased into the chair next to her, boldly placing his hand on top of hers. "I know that feeling too. Sometimes I just want the world to go to hell, or sometimes I hold onto some kind of hope that the next day will be better."

"…Sacrifice."

He cocked his head to the side, giving her a questioning glance. "Sacrifice?"

"I… I feel like I have to tell someone everything about my brother. It's killing me on the inside and after seeing all the shit that's been going on, I just have to unload…"

Naruto gave her a reassuring look. "Mabui… You don't have to if it hurts. Besides, you already told me when we traveled to Yatakumi Village right?"

"I… didn't tell you everything. Only what most people already know."

"You don't have to tell me then-"

"No, I can handle it." She took a deep breath and set her drink down. "My brother always wanted to take the toughest missions when he was jonin, something he called 'fulfilling his duty'. But that had consequences. He never connected with anyone, and everyone slowly drifted apart from him when he never showed up to any of the team bonding meet-ups." She paused to wipe a few stray tears from her face. "I saw him crying on his bed once, cursing everyone in Kumo for not recognizing all the time he spent to protect them. I can only imagine how he felt when he'd return from a mission without a single thank you."

Meeting her pensive gaze, Naruto stared into her cerulean eyes as if to find a hint of happiness. "But he endured…"

She nodded. "If anything, he always told me how much he loved me, spending any spare time he had to give me a life he could never dream of. I always felt like he was hiding something, but he smiled all the time. So I let my worry go." She let her fingers intertwine with his as she unconsciously caressed his hands. "My parents died when he was eight, so he had to raise me by himself while he took all those dangerous missions. He might have been a fool to not let someone else raise me, but he came home after every mission, so I never pressed him on it."

"He lived for you; you were his anchor…"

"The day he died… There was something off about him. His eyes were colder than usual, and he was always mumbling about judgment and fate. I mean, he'd just attended my Chunnin inauguration ceremony, smiling and giving me hugs. I remember how he handed me a headband… and then in a few hours, I find his own drenched in blood…" Tears flowed down her face as she struggled to hold them back. "I-I'm sorry Naruto, I just got carried away with all that and-"

"It's okay. We all cry, and you're not immune from that. Don't try to act tough Mabui-chan, you're only hurting yourself."

"I know… you're the first person I've told the whole story to. I guess it was eating my soul out from the inside. I really appreciate you listening, Naruto-kun." She pulled him closer, leaning her head on his shoulder. "But… how am I supposed to live on like this? I should have been finding out the truth behind his death, but I just quit and thought my life could move on like some fairy tale!"

He brought her hand into his own, giving her a reassuring sense of confidence. "Sometimes we need another to get us back on our feet. I did that for you, and I would do it again." Naruto felt a pang of fear as he hesitated to continue. "I… I don't mean to offend you, but what made you quit being a ninja?"

"I was becoming cold, emotionless, and apathetic to everything around me. Raikage-sama talked to me, but I just didn't care anymore. I guess after I made my first mistake of leaving a comrade behind, it devastated me. I couldn't believe I had fallen so low, that my brother would probably be screaming from beyond the grave in disappointment."

"Mabui-chan, you're not any of those things. You're a beautiful lady who was and still is a great ninja." He paused before chuckling. "Plus you're easy on the eyes."

"N-Naruto! You can't just-"

Naruto shifted his face until it was just inches away from hers, causing Mabui to feel blood rush to her cheeks. Moving forward in one graceful motion, he caught her lips in a chaste manner, short and innocent, but it was more than enough to convey all the love he'd been holding back. As the kiss deepened, the last vestiges of sunlight disappeared from the horizon, revealing a stunning display of stars interspersed throughout the midnight-black sky.

Catching his breath, he slowly pulled back, staring into Mabui's eyes with a new sense of understanding. He watched in anticipation as she brought up her hand, feeling an imminent sense of pleasure until it connected with his cheek in a short slapping motion. "That's for not warning me, Naruto-kun…"

"I can tell you liked it though…" Naruto replied in a husky voice, causing her to shiver in delight. Seeing her reaction, he smirked and stared straight off into the night. "You know, I always thought you were beautiful and nothing more, but I can see that we've lived our lives in such a similar way. I can understand you, and you make me feel… a thousand miles in the air… floating in a sky of love…"

He was silenced with the tap of her finger. She then brought her lips close to his ear, replying in the same tone of voice. "I never knew you were so _romantic_ with words, Naruto-kun. Don't get me wrong, I'm really attracted to you, but I think I just have to deal with all that's going through my mind first. I just don't want us rushing this."

"That's fine. But know this, my feelings won't change."

Her euphonic laughter lifted the tension from the air. She then brought her head back and gave him a peck on the lips. "You're a real charmer ya know? You might just be the one for me…"

Enjoying her company for a few more minutes, Naruto soon realized that they'd forgotten about their meeting with his team. "Shit! We promised the others we'd be there by six to help out! Now it's-"

Mabui sighed as she picked up her drink and sunk lower into the chair. "For once, I don't care what time it is. If I'm going to be a ninja, I don't have time to play secretary."

He blinked a few times. "Huh, looks like you're _really_ serious about making your brother proud."

She smiled. "Yeah… And I'll do anything to prove it!"

* * *

_**With the others…**_

Shikamaru, Sai, and Sakura labored over the four kunai, trying to figure out the intricate patterns etched on them.

"Maybe we're looking at this in the wrong way. I don't think pumping chakra into the kunai is going to do anything." Shikamaru said, pumping his chakra while fiddling with the intricate tags.

Sai suddenly slammed the table, grabbing the kunai. "Wait! I just saw a pattern! If we place them edge to edge like this and run through some chakra… This could be what we've been trying to find!"

"I see… Sakura, do you think you can go get Naruto and A-dono? I think we might be on to something."

Sakura sighed. "Did you forget? A-dono already promised to stop by at six. As for _Hokage-sama_, I'm sure he'll show up at that scheduled time as well."

"Well it wouldn't hurt to go-"

"He's with the world's best scheduler in Kumo, Shikamaru…"

As the group labored on for another hour, the clock struck 7, and the door creaked open to reveal Mabui. "Hey guys, sorry we're late." She glanced at the shocked faces of the five ninja as they stared at the clock and back at her. "What? I'm here, aren't I?"

Naruto bounded in through the window, brushing off the dust on his clothes as he smiled innocently. "Now let's get up to speed! Ah, I see that A-dono and Tomiichi made it too!"

"NARUTTOOOO!" Sakura bounded over in one leap and pulled him up by the scuff of his neck. "HOW DARE YOU FORCE YOUR HABITS ONTO MABUI!"

"Geez Sakura-chan, calm down! It's an offense to attack the Hokage!" Naruto said, struggling to avoid her strikes.

Mabui interrupted the two, pulling Sakura away. "Sakura, I realized that I was a ninja, not a secretary anymore. I can't live as if both professions should dictate what I do in life. Now back to your investigation, I presume you all made progress?"

Sakura grumbled in resignation and pointed towards a large diagram on the far wall. "Sai figured out that each tag on the kunai were supposed to be arranged in a particular manner. Once he pumped chakra into them, it created some sort of pattern that we copied onto a sheet of paper. Any ideas on what it could be?"

Mabui perused the large diagram, occasionally tracing her finger over the lines. "I can't quite recall… But this pattern seems familiar."

"It's a seal type diagram. I came across a similar one during my studies of fuinjutsu." Naruto said, gesturing for the others to take a closer look. "I think if we draw it out on the ground I can unseal it, but it could be a trap."

"Well, it might be the best option we have. I say we give it a shot."

_**Outside…**_

Redrawing the diagram onto the floor with precision, Naruto signaled for everyone to stand back. Weaving seals, he slammed the ground and pumped his chakra into the pattern, eliciting a low rumble from the ground. In an instant, the seal glowed brightly and a large object began to emerge. "What the hell is this?"

Standing in front of them was a large statue of a man. It wasn't intricately carved, but each edge was precisely cut; the work of a professional sculptor. "So… how is this supposed to help us?"

"Well, if you remember, we still have that riddle. If I recall, the third line said 'Clever like a snake, tenacious like a boar, headstrong like a ram, docile as a rabbit'" Shikamaru reasoned. Mulling over the topic for a few minutes, he began to form seals in his hands. Everyone tensed as they waited for something to appear. "Err… I guess it wasn't as easy as that. We're missing something."

Mabui furrowed her brows in confusion, scanning the statue in detail. "The thing that bothers me is the 4th line, 'The legend revives under first shadow'. Does that mean we need the Shodaime's(1) powers or something else?"

Everyone stood in deep thought until Tomiichi saw the shadow of a nearby tree flash across his vision. "Wait a minute… Shikamaru, use your Kage Mane on the statue and then try the hand seals."

Raising his eyebrows in confusion, Shikamaru connected with the statue. As he moved his arms up, to the shock of everyone, the statue did the same, as if it was alive. "What the hell? Ah it's too troublesome to think about… Let's see if this works."

As he once again went through the required seals, the statue suddenly slammed its hands down, summoning a stone tablet before it disappeared. Approaching the stone, Naruto could make out ancient symbols that were illegible, at least to his eyes. "I don't know about you guys, but this is some forgotten language."

Mabui also scanned each letter, trying to figure out a hint. "Well, I can't even begin to guess how old this language is. But this stone seems really similar to the one you hold in Konoha right?"

Naruto thought for a second before nodding. "Actually, it looks like the one they house in the Naka Shrine(2), but this is much more detailed. We should get Sasuke then. A-dono?"

"I already released him earlier in the day, though under close watch. He shouldn't be far from here, so I'll get him."

After A left, Naruto just couldn't get his mind off the 5th line of the riddle. "So, that leaves us with the last part… It's inky shade corroding one grand illusion. Doesn't that remind you of those creatures we fought in Yatakumi Village?"

Tomiichi narrowed his eyes. "Wait, describe them to me."

"Well, they seemed to be human in shape, you know, like two arms, legs and a head. But there was this darkness that surrounded them and they seemed to answer to someone else."

"Fuck… Naruto, remember when I told you that I came to Kumo with amnesia? Well, I always had dreams about those exact kinds of creatures. It's like… they sent me here for a reason, but I can't quite remember."

"You mean… they experimented on you?"

"No… At least I don't think so…"

The two were interrupted as A returned with Sasuke. "Well, that took longer than I thought, but he's here."

Naruto nodded and beckoned Sasuke to look at the tablet. "Can you read this with your Eternal Mangekyo?"

"Ah, so this is the tablet." Activating his Sharingan, he quickly scanned the parts he could read. "I can't read all of it because I don't have the Rinnegan, but I can make out certain parts of it. It's talking about… no… it's instructions for something."

"Instructions? For what?"

"It says to 'mold chakra'… 'place hands on stone'… and that's all I can read from that part. Give it a try."

Letting out an apprehensive breath, Naruto flared his chakra and touched the stone.

* * *

1) "Kage" means shadow, so first shadow refers to the first raikage in this case.

(2) A secret hideout where only those with dojutsu can read the tablet.

**End Chapter! A/N**: I know, I know. It's been over a month but I'm finally back on track! (I really hate april and may...) But I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'm really excited to start on teh next one, which will be information packed!

And as always, tell me what you liked, hated, and what you thought could be improved in a little Review!


	7. Sage of the Six Paths

**I do not own Naruto. **

* * *

**Chapter 7: Sage of the Six Paths**

**Eiji checked his surroundings once more **before jumping across the rooftop onto a nearby rotunda. He looked down at the panic-filled streets of people, hearing their incessant screams rise to an ear-piercing level that was overshadowed only by an occasional rumbling of the ground. Further off into the distance, near the outer gate, he could see the villagers beginning to panic. The dead were used as stepping stones to scale the concrete walls, children were abandoned as their parents were consumed by the tidal wave of feet, and emotions ran unhindered and out of control. His father told him that humans, even with all the ways they committed sins, were truly innocent and had the capacity to show kindness in the harshest situations.

But here… they disgusted him.

Shaking off his anger, he calmed his breathing before shifting his eyes out to a dark creature just outside the village.

"Sometimes I wonder… am I fighting for the right side?" he muttered, grasping the hilt of his nodachi1. In one fluid motion, he pulled it out of its sheath and slashed horizontally, creating a massive wave of chakra. As it careened across the landscape and hit the creature, a guttural cry erupted into the sky.

Eiji made no motion to move, the slow heave of his chest the only indication of his existence. Patience, he knew, was needed to deal with the sheer size of the Juubi. Taking a deep breath, he opened up his senses, reaching for the minute details that would signal an attack.

Suddenly, he saw twin black tendrils erupt from the ground beneath the rotunda. Vaulting over the railing, he sprinted off towards a nearby alley, making use of the narrowly spaced area. Then, he scaled the pipes up to the rooftops and managed to unleash another wave of chakra from his nodachi. He continued to swing along the outskirts of the village, punishing any careless swipes from the Juubi with small slashes to incite its anger. In time, he noticed a change, an increasingly predictable line of attack. The more he pushed, however, the more aggressive the Juubi became.

Its arm passed by his face, close enough for him to feel the sensation of evil that emanated from it. The ghostly wisps of darkness were odd; they didn't feel like death. His mind simply flatlined, disappeared in a white mist of… nothingness.

As quickly as the sensation appeared, he felt the conscious world tug back at him. Narrowly avoiding an oncoming tendril, Eiji retreated towards the town center.

'_Emotionless'_

Again, he had to be on the move. The Juubi was relentless.

'_Blank'_

Silver met black as he reengaged it. A sword versus a shadowy limb; a test of wills.

'_A perfect weapon'_

With a rise of his nodachi, he sent the monster back outside the village, flat on its back. But there was no roar, no moan, only a small breeze of air that accompanied the finale of the slash. Eiji knew he landed the hit, but he had to be sure.

"_**You interest us… boy"**_

Eiji could feel the deep, baritone voice of the Juubi within his head, pounding against him like a hammer. He briefly wondered if it was his own misunderstanding, a hallucination born from the fear he'd been holding in during the fight. But he shook the thought away. It couldn't be him.

_**"Let us see you. We wonder about you…" **_

The voice appeared again, this time, distracting Eiji long enough for the Juubi to capture him. He found himself deep within its shadowy grip, witnessing the same feeling of nothingness multiplied tenfold across his mind. But this time, there was no white. Colors couldn't describe the plane of existence he was in, as it was both emotionally and physically dead.

"_**Show us…"**_

Eiji felt reality come back into focus. He found himself surrounded by two odd, white creatures. Each grotesque monster had bulging protrusions that dotted their faces and bodies, complemented by the disproportionate size of their limbs. One of them seemed crab-like in body, but sported a set of human legs and a smooth shell that covered most of its face. Its hands were replaced with sharp-fisted knuckles that seemed to clink like a suit of armor when closed. The other was a thin, humanoid figure with a tiny lower body. It held itself in an indifferent manner, more zombie-like than agile.

Both broke out into sprints, with the tall one approaching from the back. Eiji ducked under a quick punch by the crab-like monster, getting a brief glimpse of its face. He noticed it resembled a turtle; a drooping upper jaw and set of beady, black eyes. Sweeping with his foot, he managed to kick it away. _'An imperfect being… the legs are too thick for movement, and its armored face hinders visibility. Juubi… what is your goal?' _Eiji thought, scanning his surroundings for the second monster.

He caught a glimpse of white as he turned around, but was too slow to defend against an oncoming swipe. The punch took the breath from his lungs as it launched him several feet back. He lay there, paralyzed in pain, his hand gripping the nodachi loosely. He could taste the blood flowing from his face, the metallic texture palpable, and all too revolting. The voice appeared in his head again, jagged breaths of air followed by short snorts. Laughter and mockery, he realized.

_**"You are weak… Let us show you real power!"**_

The Juubi hunched over, its back undulating in a rhythmic manner. Then, it raised its head towards the sky and a large, conical-shaped mass of darkness began to form. The density of it grew, and Eiji could feel the pressure weighing down on him.

"_**A mere taste of our power… boy… you will concede to us…"**_

Unable to find a way to escape, he wrapped himself in a cocoon of his own chakra and braced for the blast.

* * *

The quiet plinking of shattered windows and the lull of a dying fire were the only sounds Eiji heard as he regained consciousness. Lying on his back, he recalled the last moments with the Juubi: the flying dark sphere, the unbearable pain, and the silence. _Damn… what was that move…_

Groaning, he shook the thoughts away and focused on his body. He noticed small botches of yellowish-purple dotting his right chest side, coupled with a few shallow lacerations that traced the outline of his ribs and collarbone. He slowly brought his body up to a sitting position, wincing slightly at a sharp prick of pain he felt in his left leg. Seeing a layer of debris over his legs, he carefully removed them.

The sight he found threatened to overturn his stomach. The femur, coupled with all the skin and muscle was bent and broken in such a manner that it looked more like carcass than a leg. It was too much to take in; he emptied his stomach onto the nearby ground.

Feeling the initial disgust pass, he grabbed a nearby rod of metal, one just longer than himself. He ignored the pain shooting across his legs as he propped himself up.

But he had other things to worry about, namely, the eerie silence that pervaded the town. "Where the hell is the Juubi?" he mumbled, limping towards the outside of the village. As he approached the now non-existent front gates, he felt a small tug. A small, midnight black tendril coiled around his waist before violently jerking him back several feet onto the ground.

Lying on his back, he could only stare up. And there, the Juubi looked down upon him, its blood red eyes calculative and hateful. _So this is the end_. _I couldn't do it Tou-san… Would you be proud of me?..._

"Eiji, stay on the ground. I wouldn't want you to get caught in the blast."

His eyes widened in recognition. _Tou-san is here_! "Hai!"

"Shinra Tensei!" the man shouted, thrusting his palms out at the Juubi. The force of the blast propelled the ten-tails out of the village and into the nearby mountains. Satisfied, he turned his attention back to his son. "Eiji you reckless boy! I asked you to do recon, not to engage! I could have lost you today…"

"Well I couldn't just stand by and watch everyone die!"

The man interrupted him, placing his hands over his broken leg and concentrating healing chakra on it, "Look, I appreciate what you've done, but sometimes you have to know your limits-"

Eiji scowled. "You know, if I were nii-san, you wouldn't say that right?"

The man gave him a soft look. "It was never about your brother, nor was it about you. Now stay back while I take care of the Juubi."

* * *

Naruto felt his head spin as his fingers brushed the stone. Objects and shapes blurred, colors fused, and his body stretched to unimaginable proportions. He felt as if reality was caving in, dissipating into nothingness…

A resounding smack brought him back to his senses. "What the…"

Feminine laughter graced his ears. "My my, it looks like you've finally come to join me."

Naruto turned around, taking in the form of his red-haired bijū. She looked as mischievous as usual, a half smirk plastered on her face. "Kura-chan? Aren't you supposed to be inside me?"

He watched as her lips morphed into a playful grin. "Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

A tint of red appeared on his face as he caught her meaning. _Perverted fox_, he thought. "So… where are we right now? After I touched the stone I kinda lost awareness of my surroundings."

"More like you just changed the subject. Pah! Boring as ever." She rested her arm on his shoulder. "I thought you had more class than that, kit."

Naruto just stared at her and rolled his eyes. "Look, I didn't come here to chat, I need answers to get out of this prison… or whatever I'm stuck in."

She brought her hand up to his head, giving it a slight poke. "No, baka. We're in one of Rikudō-oji's memories. He kept these as a memoir of his life, if you can believe it, and it seems that we're right in the middle of his fight with the Juubi. And for your information, I can manifest a physical presence here."

"Uhhh…Where's the Juubi?" He watched as she gave him a confused look. "I mean, all I see is you."

"Ahh! You aren't synched with the memory yet. I should be able to fix that." She grabbed hold of his face, both hands running from his forehead to his chin. Muttering incoherently, she released a pulse of red chakra into his eyes.

He watched as the darkness began to fade, replaced with tangible substance. Lush green trees began to form, accompanied by a broken down gate and rubble scattered across what seemed like a village. As more of the scene unfolded, he could make out roofs scattered across the landscape, wooden pillars torn from their structures, and even a stone building carved out near the base in a semi-circular fashion. In the center of it all stood the Juubi and the sage, both unleashing enormous amounts of power that reshaped the land they stood on.

"This feels real…" Naruto said, his breath stolen by the grandeur of the fight. "Just what have we gotten ourselves into?"

"If that trail of clues led us here, then something in this memory must be connected with the appearance of the shadowy warriors… and the deaths of the Kumo shinobi."

"Hell, this is beyond that now. I feel like this is leading us to a much greater problem. Anyways, how come you're the only one that can do anything here?"

Kurama sighed. "Well if you'd been_ listening_ to me, I told you that this was for the sage's personal use. We are creations of him, so naturally, we can use them."

"You didn't say _personal use_ the last time!" He stopped as she glared at him with crimson eyes. "Well… fine. Have it your way, woman."

"That's what I thought. Now, we should be analyzing the scene _up close._" She grabbed his wrist and flashed into the center of the battle.

Upon entering, Naruto realized he could feel the environment around him. The soft breezes, the smell of sweat gleaming on the sage's face, and even the chakra flow saturating the atmosphere. There was also a faint source of energy emanating from the back of a building not far off. "Kura-chan, why can I sense people here?"

"Easy. Rikudō-oji's rinnegan can record anything and create a perfect memory. Since you have my chakra in your eyes, you can sense them. I assume you saw that third chakra signature over there?" She pointed towards the building.

Naruto nodded. "Who is it?"

"Eiji, his son. Older son to be exact. The one known to be the descendant of the Uchiha." She smirked. "He was a nice boy from what I saw of him, but I guess something happened. He became… distant and somewhat hateful of the world."

"Really? Sounds a lot like Sasuke." Naruto mused, inwardly laughing at the comparison.

Kurama waved it off with her hand. "Trust me, Eiji became more callous than Sasuke could ever be." She clasped her hands together. "Now! I think it's time to tell you more about Rikudō-oji. You see, he was on to something before he died. The Juubi was a _tease_, Naruto, like a pawn in a chess game. It couldn't have sprung up by itself, so he thought there was someone else, maybe like another sage."

Naruto paced around, deep in thought, as if to find something that would give him an answer. He was shocked to hear of the possibility of another sage, shocked to hear of a bigger threat than the Juubi, and taken aback by the depth of the situation. "All this searching and puzzle-hunting we've been doing… Could it be to find this person? Ah Kura-chan, this is so frustrating!"

Kurama paced around the battle, eyeing in particular the dense energy the Juubi gave off. "I would tell you something if I knew it, but even I don't know if that person exists. Oji-san could have been crazy."

Naruto grumbled in irritation, "Assuming he's right, what tipped him off about it then?"

"He was the self-proclaimed creator of shinobi, so naturally he knew how chakra worked and what it was like. The Juubi was pretty much complete evil manifested in a corporeal form, and it's hard to fathom how... Well after he sealed it, he experimented with the residual mass of energy, and found that it was the complete opposite of chakra."

Naruto blinked. "Uhh, can you like… rephrase that?"

She chuckled. "Oh Naruto, having a dumb moment? Fine. Basically the Sage detected something that wasn't chakra, and that made him question where it came from. Now do you understand?"

"HEY! I was not having a dumb moment! In my defense, the words were simply too _desultory _and _ascetic_ to fit the situation," Naruto retorted, brimming with pride. Suddenly, he was hit with a thought. "Wait… now that I think of it, that sounds a lot like Kūton! You know, the whole idea of sensing energy that's not there."

Kurama shook her head. "He created Kūton from _it_. The Juubi possessed something no one could wield, a power beyond chakra. Oji-san was absorbed in his research on it, and in the end, he discovered it was extremely useful."

"He created the nine bijū with it," Naruto said with a look of realization. "But I thought he did it with the creation of all things."

She nodded. "He did. Ying-yang release is just the human name for it. I mean, look at me. Is this red chakra really just chakra? It's far more potent, destructive, and dense; the perfect container for Kūton."

"But all those times you healed me, lent me your _chakra!_ If it was Kūton, then how-"

"I was created with his chakra _and_ Kūton. Naturally, we had the special ability of converting between the two."

His curiosity peaking, Naruto turned his attention back to his surroundings. "Can you show me the flow of Kūton usage in this battle? If the two energies are similar, I should _at least _be able to sense it."

Kurama shook her head. "It won't be possible. It took Oji-san over a decade to create and master it. But, I guess we don't have much else to do."

She walked up to Naruto once again and began to modify the chakra around his eyes. To her shock, a reaction occurred. "It worked, Kura-chan! I can't see it, but I feel a strange kind of energy from the Juubi now!"

"Are you sure? I can't sense Kūton here."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Really?"

"You are aware that some shinobi are sensors… Could it be that you are one of them specifically with Kūton? I wonder…" Kurama mused.

He shrugged. "Maybe it had to do with you being sealed into me at birth. I must have adapted to the levels of Kūton you had then."

"Possibly… Well, anything out of the ordinary then?"

Naruto extended his senses out, feeling the large presence of Kūton in the Juubi, but also a small amount emanating from Eiji. "Kura-chan, I can barely feel it, but Eiji seems to have the same energy signature!"

"Focus harder and tell me if you see anything else."

Once again flaring his chakra, Naruto closely followed the distortions emitting off of the Juubi towards Eiji. Faintly, he could see it pulsing between them, as if they were connected. "Well that's interesting… It looks like they're connected, or maybe one of them is controlling the other?"

"Let me be your eyes for a moment. I feel like I've seen this phenomenon before." Kurama didn't wait for an answer as she quickly transferred her mind into Naruto's. "I… It can't be… he possesses the sharingan!" She released her hold immediately, anger strewn across her face.

Naruto reeled from the experience. The sudden intrusion felt, quite literally, like an out-of-body experience. "How did you do that?"

"One of the properties of Kūton. It allows the user to take control of another body that shares a similar feature, such as chakra or a bloodline, to the user." She replied with a harsh undertone.

He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong? I'm as surprised as you are about the sharingan, but-"

"You don't understand! Those eyes are mangekyo, an eye that has an innate control over Kūton!"

"You're saying, the eyes Eiji possesses, can control the Juubi? And that he's doing that right now?"

She let out a slow breath to calm herself. "I don't know. It's all speculation from here on out, but I have a feeling that those times you and Sasuke were controlled were not mere coincidences and somehow connected with the ability to manipulate people. Remember the Fourth Mizukage?" Naruto nodded. "Well, he had the sanbi inside him, you have me, and Sasuke has the mangekyo. All of you were controlled. This must be the connection the memory is hinting at!"

Naruto nodded. _'When Sasuke was fighting, his eyes were like glass… I just knew something was controlling him.' _He shifted his eyes back out towards the full moon. "Well, is there a way to get out of here? I think we've gathered enough information to interpret."

"I can break the link between the memory and you. However," Kurama crossed her arms and sighed, "you're a jinchuriki, so I have no idea what effect it'll have on you."

"Death is a possibility then, isn't it? And everything in between…"

She flashed him a lighthearted smile. "So, anything you want me to write on your epitaph?"

* * *

Shikamaru wrapped his hand around Asuma's lighter, drawing the cap open and closed in a tense fashion. "We have to discuss our situation here."

Sasuke grunted in affirmation. "We've got nowhere else to investigate until Naruto wakes up and tells us what happened."

"You know, I flared my chakra when I touched the stone after he fell unconscious. Nothing happened. Do you think this was a trap made just for him?" Mabui said.

Shikamaru stared at the ceiling. "I don't know. The best we can do now is wait…"

* * *

Naruto found himself back in his mindscape, lying beside Kurama with a thoughtful expression. The memory had faded minutes ago, colors and shapes dissolving back into a dark void before his eyes adjusted to the new setting. "I take it that I'm not dead."

Kurama gave him a coquettish look. "Well, maybe you are, and this is heaven."

"Right, keep telling yourself that…" He stood up and brushed off the loose dirt that stuck to his back. "Should we start training now? I really want to get the hang of Kūton before someone tries to control me again."

"I guess that's a good idea."

Naruto saw her face adopt a forlorn look, with a twinge of a longing. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

"You know I'm bound to you until you die, and maybe even beyond. Why do you ignore me so often?"

Inwardly, he realized all the times he'd shut her away. But it was necessary. "I can't be everywhere at once, Kura-chan. If it comes to it, I will choose the village over my own desires and the world over my life."

Kurama waved her finger in a threatening way at Naruto's face before dropping it down to her side, defeated. "I just can't live alone like this! I'm a bijū for Kami's sake! I'm supposed to be selfish, prideful, and fawned upon! But with you… I feel the opposite…"

"I'm sure there are many people who empathize with your plight. You're not alone, Kura-chan," he whispered, hoping to calm her.

She let out a painful chuckle. "Trust me, Rikudō-oji was one of the only people who cared for us as more than weapons, at least until you."

Naruto pondered her words for a minute, feeling a hint of joy that he'd had such an impact but also a twinge of sadness. "It might take time, but I believe people will one day come to understand bijūs, just as they have with me as a jinchuriki."

"Well…" Kurama pulled her hair back, staring at the glassy sky in deep thought. "I guess we're not innocents either. It was never the anger or conceit humans showed that bothered us."

His eyes slowly widened as she spoke.

"We were jealous, Naruto. We saw your kind happy, full of life and love. Even if for just a moment, we wanted to be like that. That's what led to my capture by Uchiha Madara. As much as I hate to say, their curse of hatred ran parallel to our longing for love, so he easily controlled me with his eyes." Kurama finished saying, her words laced with emotion.

"The sharingan was a mutation, a tool born from love… I guess it's no surprise. But what was my role in all of it?"

He felt her lean against him. "You gave me that compassion when you said you would come after the hatred inside me. I felt whole, complete, and I never looked back. We _bonded_ that day."

Naruto pulled away, his heart brimming with a sense of duty. _'How could I forget all those people who were there for me? I never go back on my nindo way!'_ Turning back to Kurama, he grasped her hands, caressing them. "Then I'll be sure that bond stays."

* * *

1- Nodachi=two-handed Japanese sword

**End Chapter! A/N:** I'll be honest, the amount of time between chapters 6 and 7 is pretty disgusting in my opinion. I wouldn't be surprised if anyone was wondering what happened.

Anyways, I hope all of you enjoy this chapter, and I hope to not have writer's block and a bout of laziness for chapter 8!

And as always, tell me what you liked, hated, and what you thought could be improved in a little Review!


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